Aer Lingus
Flag carrier of Ireland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aer Lingus (/ˌɛər ˈlɪŋɡəs/ air LING-gəs; an anglicisation of the Irish aerloingeas [ˌeːɾˠˈl̪ˠɪɲɟəsˠ], meaning "air fleet")[lower-alpha 1] is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.[citation needed]
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Founded | 15 April 1936; 88 years ago (1936-04-15) | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 28 May 1936; 88 years ago (1936-05-28) | ||||||
Hubs | Dublin Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | Cork Airport[1] | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | |||||||
Subsidiaries | |||||||
Fleet size | 56 (Including all the Subsidiaries) | ||||||
Destinations | 93 | ||||||
Parent company | International Airlines Group | ||||||
Headquarters | Cloghran, County Dublin, Ireland | ||||||
Key people | Lynne Embleton (CEO) | ||||||
Revenue | €467 million (2020)[3] | ||||||
Operating income | €305 million (2018) | ||||||
Net income | €205.5 million (2016) | ||||||
Employees | 4,500 approx (2020) | ||||||
Website | www |
Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus is a former member of the Oneworld airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. After the takeover by IAG, it was expected that Aer Lingus would re-enter Oneworld, however, at a press briefing on 15 November 2017 the airline's then CEO Stephen Kavanagh stated that the airline has "no plans to join Oneworld".[4] The airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam members, as well as interline agreements with Etihad Airways, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Aer Lingus has a hybrid business model of low-cost and traditional carriers,[5] operating a mixed fare service[6] on its European routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes.
Ryanair owned over 29% of Aer Lingus stock and the Irish state owned over 25% before being bought out by IAG in 2015. The state had previously held an 85% shareholding until the Government's decision to float the company on the Dublin and London stock exchanges on 2 October 2006. The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned.[7]
On 26 May 2015, after months of negotiations on a possible IAG takeover, the Irish government agreed to sell its 25% stake in the company. Ryanair retained a 30% stake in Aer Lingus which it agreed to sell to IAG on 10 July 2015 for €2.55 per share.[8][9] In August 2015, Aer Lingus' shareholders officially accepted IAG's takeover offer.[10] IAG subsequently assumed control of Aer Lingus on 2 September 2015.[11]