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.
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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.
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