Aer Lingus is preparing to turn the page in Manchester. The Irish airline has confirmed that it will cease long-haul operations from the British airport, which is a major European hub. Manchester has welcomed more than 32 million passengers in 2025 and is linked to a dozen cities in France.
The departure of Aer Lingus next spring will lead to the closure of this regional transatlantic base. This decision marks a clear strategic shift in favour of Dublin, which is set to become more than ever the hub of its long-haul network.
Until now, Aer Lingus operated five routes from Manchester. Three of these were long-haul transatlantic routes: a daily flight to New York JFK, around five flights a week to Orlando and three flights a week to Bridgetown, Barbados. These routes were supplemented by two short-haul services to Ireland, Manchester-Dublin and Manchester-Belfast City, the latter operated by Aer Lingus Regional. Only the routes to Ireland should be maintained from the end of March.
This withdrawal contrasts with the scale of the company's ambitions for the North American market. Aer Lingus has announced the biggest transatlantic programme in its history for the summer of 2026. In the space of four years, the company has added ten new transatlantic routeswhile increasing capacity on many existing routes. Summer 2026 will see Aer Lingus operate its largest ever number of transatlantic flights.
New for spring 2026 is the introduction of a third daily flight between Dublin and New York JFK, as well as a third daily flight to Boston. These new frequencies will offer late evening departures from Dublin and late night returns from the US, allowing travellers to maximise their time on both sides of the Atlantic.
Raleigh-Durham, new for summer 2026
The new routes to Indianapolis and Nashville, launched in 2025, will also continue to grow. Flights will increase from four to five weekly frequencies in summer 2026. The Dublin-Orlando route will be operated daily during the high summer season.
Finally, the most important new feature will be the launch in April of a new direct service between Dublin and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Scheduled for launch in April 2026, the route will operate up to five times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays with an Airbus A321 XLR. This new route will bring the total number of North American destinations served by the airline to 26.
