Aer Lingus CEO says there has been no drop in passenger demand on US routes
"Passenger numbers were up in Q1 (the first three months of 2025,' she said.
"From an Aer Lingus perspective we are responsible for more than half of long haul capacity during the winter and we carried more passengers.'.
"What we see doesn't match (the CSO data) and our suspicion is something quirky in the data,' she said.
In Ireland, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) published figures last week showed 441,200 foreign visitors came to Ireland in March, down 15pc on the same month last year and following reported declines in January and February.
In the US , the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration reported 17pc fewer visitors from Western Europe in March this year than the same month a year prior.
Aer Lingus said it is not seeing such declines on its routes, including to the US.
Lynne Embleton was speaking after IAG, which owns Aer Lingus, reported earnings for the first quarter of the year that beat analyst estimates on Friday and confirmed new Boeing and Airbus orders.
The airline group, which includes British Airways and Iberia, said it will buy 32 US made Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and 21 French made Airbus SE A330neo planes for its Aer Lingus, Iberia or LEVEL brands.
There's also an option to top up the deal with as many as 10 additional Boeing 787s and up to 13 additional Airbus A330neos, IAG said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Boeing element of the deal had been flagged by the US as a win in the context of this week's UK:US trade agreement and as a UK deal will escape the threat by the European Union to levy a tariff on Boeing planes as part of a potential response to Donald Trump's US tariffs.
There is no risk of tariffs on European built Airbus planes that are being bought for IAG's EU based airlines, including Aer Lingus.
On Friday Aer Lingus reported an operating loss of €55m for the first quarter of 2025, compared to an €82m operating loss in the same three months of 2024.
The first three months are typically the weakest quarter of the year for the airline, Aer Lingus's CEO, Lynne Embleton said the performance represents a strong financial outcome and a significant improvement on Q1 2024 and flagged new aircraft entering service with the fleet.
"The Q1 performance builds upon the underlying momentum seen in the business from 2024. The first two of six A321 XLR aircraft are now in service and operating on our new routes to Nashville and Indianapolis. These new aircraft and the remaining four XLRs which are expected to join the fleet later this year will support a compelling growth ambition that will benefit the airline, our customers, our employees and the economy.'
IAG's first-quarter adjusted operating profit rose to €198m , beating the estimates amid lower fuel prices and higher revenue.
Despite some evidence of softening traveller interest in the US market this year the company maintained its outlook, saying it is "continuing to see good demand for air travel across our core markets and for our brands."
Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that Boeing was poised to win an order from IAG, in a deal tied to US President Donald Trump's new trade agreement with the UK. The Boeing portion of the accord marks a political win for Trump, whose tariff barrage has shaken global markets and tested the strong outlook for transatlantic routes that have bolstered major airlines such as BA.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
I went to the Canadian-style safari resort in Europe with American bison and new restaurants
IN my best David Attenborough voice, I whisper: 'The majestic bison, shaggy giants of the plains, thunder across the fields in their hundreds.' It's baking hot and I'm rumbling along dusty tracks in an old army truck, my eyes peeled for the large animals. Advertisement 4 Canoe down the Varenne River in the afternoons Credit: Thomas Le Floc'H 4 Visit Chateau de Dieppe, the town's 15th-century castle Credit: Thomas Le Floc'H So far, so safari. However, I'm not roaming the Great Plains of North America, where they normally reside, but a little closer to home in the Eawy Forest in Normandy, France. A half-hour drive from Dieppe through ancient villages lies Parc Canadien, home to the largest herd of American bison in Europe. It opened in 1994 when a herd of North American bison were successfully released into the wilds of Normandy. Advertisement Read more on safaris Over the last 20 years, the herd has grown to more than 200. They have now been joined by stags, fallow deer and several packs of wolves. While the jeep tours are only conducted in French — we are given a laminated sheet of information from the desk — English guides can be booked in advance. Before spotting the bison, we trundle through Wolf Temple, a fenced-off part of the park where the wolves reside. There's plenty to do for an afternoon — canoeing down the Varenne River and walking tours around the wolf enclosure and mini farm. Advertisement Most read in News Travel You can sample bison burgers, steaks and more at the Canadian-style bar and restaurant, with its log cabin walls and trophy skulls. New for 2025 is fast-food restaurant La Toundra, with sandwiches from £5.20 and full kids' meals with drinks, dessert and a present from £8.65. How to make your safari holiday more affordable - with quieter seasons and budget lodging You can even stock up on bison sausages and terrine from the farm's onsite butchery. Wildlife-spotting aside, a weekend in Dieppe has stacks of appeal. Advertisement The ferry from Newhaven lands in Dieppe, on Normandy's Alabaster Coast, at 10pm and it's a 15-minute drive to the charming Hotel Aguado, where most rooms overlook the sea. As most places have stopped serving food at this late hour we hit the jackpot at a hole-in-the-wall joint called Big Al And Little Joe. This serves Lebanese-style flatbreads filled with salads, meats and sauces, which we ate al fresco listening to live jazz from the wine bar next door. Saturday is the best day to visit Dieppe, largely because of its brilliant market. Advertisement Named the best market in France in 2020, the 200 or so stalls wind their way from Quai Henri IV through the town and sell everything from homemade wicker baskets and locally made Neufchatel cheese to fist-sized tomatoes and slabs of nougat. Shopping secured, do as the locals do and stop for a cold beer in Cafe des Tribunaux on Place du Puits-Salé, where Oscar Wilde used to drink. 4 Saturday is the best day to visit Dieppe, largely because of its brilliant market Credit: Supplied 4 Parc Canadien is home to the largest herd of American bison in Europe Credit: Supplied Advertisement Visit Chateau de Dieppe, the town's 15th-century castle overlooking the sea, which has a maritime museum with paintings by Boudin, Lebourg and Pissarro. Don't miss a peek at Les Tourelles gate, the only surviving gate from the medieval ramparts, which were used as a prison during the French Revolution. Dieppe was considered France's first seaside resort some 200 years ago, and while the Belle Epoque architecture has largely been bombed away, it still has the largest seafront lawns in Europe and a grey-pebbled beach packed with locals splashing in the shallows. While bison and beaches are an excellent reason to visit, the highlight for me is dinner at La Marmite Dieppoise, a gorgeous Normandy restaurant just off the main drag. Advertisement We feasted on oysters, fruits de mer and the house speciality, marmite Dieppoise — a creamy fish stew with turbot, monkfish and scallops pulled fresh from the sea that morning. When it comes to celebrating Anglo-French relations, a weekend in Dieppe is the way to go. GO: DIEPPE GETTING THERE: DFDS sails from Newhaven to Dieppe from £93 each way for a car and two passengers. See STAYING THERE: Hotel Aguado has double rooms from £135 per night, B&B. See OUT & ABOUT: Visit the wolves and bison at Parc Canadien from £20.45 per adult and £13.60 per child under ten. See MORE INFO: See
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Uber will give women in US a choice to only travel with other women - but no plans to do it in Ireland
UBER IS INTRODUCING a feature in some US cities that will enable women to ask to only be paired with drivers who are also women – but has no plans to bring the measure to Ireland. The ride-sharing company announced this week that it is piloting a feature called 'Women Preferences' in three US cities in the coming weeks. The function will allow women using the app – both passengers and drivers – to request to only be matched with other women on trips. The pilot will start with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit, with intentions to expand further across the US. Several dozen countries (Ireland isn't one of them) already have an option in the app for women drivers to request to only be paired with other women as passengers, but this will be the first time that passengers have the option. In a statement to The Journal , Uber said it does not currently plan to introduce the feature in Ireland. 'This is just a US product,' a spokesperson said. More choice. More control. Women told us they wanted the option to be matched with other women—and we listened. Now, after piloting these features in dozens of countries, we're bringing Women Preferences to the US. 🙋♀️ Riders can choose a woman driver 🚘 Drivers get more… — Uber (@Uber) July 23, 2025 Advertisement Other taxi apps operating in Ireland include Freenow and Bolt. Freenow is being acquired by Lyft, another taxi app, which has a similar feature in the US called Women+ Connect. In a statement to The Journal, Freenow Ireland General Manager, Danny O'Gorman said that Women+ Connect has been 'well received in the US' and it is 'currently evaluating whether and how similar features could be relevant for European markets'. 'Supporting passenger and driver safety is a key priority for Freenow, and we are committed to providing safe and reliable service to app users through safety features like 'Share your trip', which allows the trip to be shared with friends or family,' O'Gorman said. 'Taxi drivers in Ireland are regulated by the National Transport Authority and require full vetting by An Garda Síochána before obtaining their taxi licence,' he said. Bolt, which has a feature in some countries for passengers called 'Women for Women', said that it keeps the available locations under review but that there are barriers in the industry to growing the number of women working as taxi drivers. Kimberly Hurd, Bolt's Senior General Manager for Ireland, said: 'Safety is a top priority for Bolt, and we're always looking at new ways to support both passengers and drivers. We introduced a 'Women for Women' feature in several countries, which allows women passengers to request women drivers where available. 'While this feature is not currently available in Ireland, we're constantly reviewing where it could be rolled out next,' Hurd said, adding that Bolt has other in-app safety features like an emergency assist button. 'As a woman in the industry, increasing the diversity of drivers is a particular focus of mine. However, a major barrier to growing the number of women in the industry is the current regulatory environment,' she said. 'The cost of entering the market is high and the SPSV Driver Entry Test needs modernisation to better reflect today's technology and operating conditions. These issues need to be addressed if we're serious about improving diversity across the sector.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on handling Donald Trump: a lesson on how to respond
For Donald Trump, the truth, more often than not, is beside the point. So powerful is the US president, and so accustomed are his interlocutors to his casual relationship with facts, that he is rarely challenge as he makes his long and rambling public pronouncements. So it was refreshing to see Jerome Powell, the chair of the US central bank, the Federal Reserve Board, shake his head and publicly correct the record in real time as he stood alongside the president at an event on Thursday. The backdrop was a lengthy campaign by Trump to force the Fed to lower interest rates and his outspoken attempts to try to get Powell to quit. As part of this campaign, the administration has weaponised a renovation programme at the Fed, which it claims is running way over budget. Standing beside Powell in his hard hat, Trump theatrically produced a piece of paper which he said showed that the $2.7 billion bill was now set to be $3.1 billion. Powell calmly studied the note and pointed out that this included the cost of another building that was already completed. 'It's a building that's being built, ' Trump responded. 'No, it was built five years ago,' said Powell. The exchange underlined how seldom Trump's 'facts' are challenged in public by those around him. Everyone wants to humour the unpredictable president. The irony is complete when he publishes posts on his 'Truth Social' channel, a name which carries echoes of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's 1984. READ MORE World leaders face the same dilemma as Powell did when they stand beside Trump. Most choose to grin and bear it. This is what the EU appears to have done in trade talks with the US, as they face Trump's chaotic mixture of fact and fiction. As the talks come to another crunch – and with the need for support on the Ukraine war in the background – the EU may concede Trump's call for 15 per cent tariffs. When you lead the world's biggest economic and military power, sometimes you get to choose your own facts. A quiet-spoken bureaucrat just gave the world a lesson in how best to respond.
