Aer Lingus could cut up to 500 jobs and drop routes out of Dublin.
Up to 500 jobs at Aer Lingus could be under threat as the airline company plans to axe a number of routes out of Dublin to tackle the rising costs and increased competition, the airline said via The Irish Times.
According to reports, the company told staff on Monday that it is planning to cut 500 jobs out of 6,500 and will begin talks with trade union representatives.
It has been revealed that these job cuts could include 70 pilots and 130 cabin crew members.
Aer Lingus stated that they plan to "consult with employees and their representatives regarding the head office function changes and the network changes,” it said. “These changes could see up to 500 employees leaving the airline," according to an Aer Lingus statement via the Irish Independent.
"With many fleet decisions upcoming, Aer Lingus will also engage with employees and their representatives on cost efficiency and productivity so that the airline can be an investment case within the IAG group. The more cost efficient and productive the airline is, the more it will be able to fulfil its network and growth ambition. The consultation and engagement process will focus on reducing redundancies and potential future redundancies and on what needs to be done to secure future investment in the business," the airlines statement continued.
The airline has also revealed their plans to cut a service split to Croatia and routes to Hamburg, Frankfurt and Malta will become summer only routes.
A number of long haul flights will also be impacted. Flights from Dublin to Denver will be discontinued after September 28th, Dublin to Minneapolis will be discontinued after October 24th and Dublin to Vegas will be discontinued after December 3rd.
Aer Lingus have stated that all customers impacted by the changes are being contacted directly.
A report in the Irish Independent revealed that the airline will examine the frequencies in October and November and will implement changes in September.
Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton declares that the current plans of change is to "set Aer Lingus up for the future” and to ensure the airline “is a strong investment case and able to weather the turbulence in our industry”.
According to the Irish Independent, Aer Lingus noted that it lost €103m in the first few months of this year, which is typically a loss-making period for airlines but the rise in jet-fuel costs has worsened this loss.
A formal consultation period of 30 days is set to commence, however reports predict that it will likely run for a number of months.
