Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus
IATA ICAO Call sign
EI EIN SHAMROCK
Founded15 April 1936; 88 years ago (1936-04-15)
Commenced operations28 May 1936; 88 years ago (1936-05-28)
HubsDublin Airport
Focus citiesCork Airport[1]
Frequent-flyer program
Subsidiaries
Fleet size56 (Including Aer Lingus UK)
Destinations97[3]
Parent companyInternational Airlines Group
HeadquartersCloghran, County Dublin, Ireland
Key peopleLynne Embleton (CEO)
RevenueDecrease €467 million (2020)[4]
Operating incomeIncrease €305 million (2018)
Net incomeIncrease €205.5 million (2016)
Employees4,500 approx (2020)
Websitewww.aerlingus.com

Aer Lingus (/ˌɛər ˈlɪŋɡəs/ air LING-gəs; an anglicisation of the Irish aerloingeas [ˌeːɾˠˈl̪ˠɪɲɟəsˠ], meaning "air fleet")[a] is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.[5]

Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus is a former member of the Oneworld airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. After the takeover by IAG, it was expected that Aer Lingus would re-enter Oneworld, however, at a press briefing on 15 November 2017 the airline's then CEO Stephen Kavanagh stated that the airline has "no plans to join Oneworld".[6] The airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam members, as well as interline agreements with Etihad Airways, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Aer Lingus has a hybrid business model of low-cost and traditional carriers,[7] operating a mixed fare service[8] on its European routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes.

Ryanair owned over 29% of Aer Lingus stock and the Irish state owned over 25% before being bought out by IAG in 2015. The state had previously held an 85% shareholding until the Government's decision to float the company on the Dublin and London stock exchanges on 2 October 2006. The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned.[9]

On 26 May 2015, after months of negotiations on a possible IAG takeover, the Irish government agreed to sell its 25% stake in the company. Ryanair retained a 30% stake in Aer Lingus which it agreed to sell to IAG on 10 July 2015 for €2.55 per share.[10][11] In August 2015, Aer Lingus' shareholders officially accepted IAG's takeover offer.[12] IAG subsequently assumed control of Aer Lingus on 2 September 2015.[13]

  1. ^ "Learn more about Aer Lingus and their operations". Airline Information.
  2. ^ "AerClub". Aer Lingus. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Aer Lingus on ch-aviation.com". Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Full year results announcement" (PDF). iairgroup.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference HQaddress was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Mulligan, John (15 November 2017). "Aer Lingus has 'no plans' to rejoin airline alliance". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  7. ^ "New type of flying at Aer Lingus". CNN. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Aer Lingus". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Aer Lingus Group stock lookup on all exchanges". Yahoo! Finance UK & Ireland. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  10. ^ Kelly, Fiach; Taylor, Cliff (26 May 2015). "Cabinet agrees to sell State's 25% stake in Aer Lingus". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  11. ^ Martin, Ben (10 July 2015). "Ryanair to allow IAG takeover of Aer Lingus". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Aer Lingus by IAG, subject to conditions". Commission Europa. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  13. ^ Newenham, Pamela (2 September 2015). "IAG formally takes control of Aer Lingus". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 December 2023.


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