Updated / Friday, 8 May 2026 16:48
Aer Lingus has reported an operating loss of €103m for the first quarter of 2026, up from an operating loss of €55m the same time last year due to “challenging macro-economic factors”.
But the airline, which is owned by IAG, said it was not seeing any interruptions to its jet fuel supply yet and it remains confident on its fuel supply for its summer schedule.
Aer Lingus said the €48m increase in its operating loss mainly reflected additional fuel costs and lower passenger revenues linked to competition on North Atlantic routes.
It also said increased carbon costs and closure of its Manchester transatlantic base were other factors in the bigger loss.
The first quarter of the year is typically the weakest quarter of the year for the business, it noted.
Aer Lingus carried a total of 2.165 million passenger in the three months to the end of March, a 1.1% increase on the same time last year, supported by new long haul and short haul routes.
These include routes from Dublin to Cancún, Tromsø, Turin, a temporary direct service from Dublin to Barbados, as well as new routes from Cork to Geneva and Prague.
Its load factor – how many seats it fills on each flight – dipped to 74.3% from 75.3%.
Aer Lingus started a new direct service from Dublin to Raleigh-Durham in April and will start a new service to Pittsburgh on May 25. It said these routes are enabled by its new fleet of A321 XLR planes, the sixth of which was delivered in January 2026.
Aer Lingus also said it equipped its first aircraft with Elon Musk’s high-speed wi-fi internet system in March, adding that it plans to equip all aircraft with Starlink in a phased rollout, beginning with planes flying to North America, followed by those serving European destinations.
Starlink Wi-Fi is expected to be available across the airline’s long-haul fleet by the first quarter of 2027, it added.
In a statement, Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton said the more challenging macro-economic environment is reflected in the airline’s first quarter financial performance.
“While we are not seeing interruptions to jet fuel supply and we are confident of supply to operate our summer schedule, we are not immune to the impacts of sharp rises in fuel prices,” she said.
“In the context of a potentially longer-term change in fuel prices and a more uncertain global environment, we are actively reviewing our cost base and our schedule beyond the summer to ensure that we operate as efficiently as possible and are positioned well for the future,” she added.
