Pilots raise concerns over future of Aer Lingus Cork base

Aer Lingus pilot representatives have written to management with “significant concerns” over comments by the new director on flight operations about the future of its Cork base.

In an email sent to the 50 Aer Lingus pilots based at Cork Airport, flight operations director Evan Cullen addressed concerns about the ongoing conflict which has resulted in a spike in fuel prices.

"I very much understand the concerns pilots are having around the next few months and how IAG/Aer Lingus will react to the current geopolitical crisis," said Mr Cullen, who was appointed to the role in February following a long service as president of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa).
"I do suggest that innovation and thinking outside the box might be in the long-term interests of the Cork base." 

In a letter to Mr Cullen on Thursday morning, Ialpa said it was “difficult to reconcile the implication” in his communications that Cork pilots should be “considering extraordinary flexibility” or “informal solutions regarding the viability or future of the base".

The union said Cork Airport is a “proven growth market with substantial commercial potential".

Losses at Aer Lingus have deepened further this year, totaling €103m at the end of March.

Jet fuel prices have more than doubled since the war in Iran erupted at the end of February.

'We need to reduce costs'

Earlier this month, Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton said: "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 confirmed the airline was "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". 

Asked about potential job cuts, she said: "We need to reduce costs to meet our targets."

In its letter to Mr Cullen on Thursday, Ialpa said Cork Airport "is not a declining or marginal operation that requires ‘out of the box’ thinking from individual pilots to secure its future”.

Employing around 200 Aer Lingus employees across pilots, cabin crew and operations, the airport recorded 3.46m passengers in total last year, making it the busiest year in its 64-year history.

“Cork pilots have consistently delivered professionalism, flexibility, and operational reliability over many years,” Ialpa noted, explaining how its future should be about expansion.

Asked to comment on the email, Aer Lingus issued a statement reading: "In the context of a potentially longer-term change in fuel prices and a more uncertain global environment, Aer Lingus is actively reviewing our cost base and schedule beyond the summer to ensure that we operate as efficiently as possible and are positioned well for the future."