A look At Aer Lingus' changing Ireland-UK network

The airline's history at the airport includes a short-lived base with 14 routes

A look At Aer Lingus' changing Ireland-UK network

Aer Lingus is the second-largest airline operating between the Republic of Ireland and the UK. The carrier (including its Regional unit) is, of course, behind juggernaut Ryanair, whether by passengers, seats for sale, flights, or ASKs.

Gatwick going: a quick look

Aer Lingus' exit from the West Sussex airport on March 30th, the last day of the northern aviation winter season, is not news: it was discussed last week. However, its tumultuous history at Gatwick deserves a brief examination.

It began flying to the airport in 2007 from (you guessed it) Dublin with a four-daily service. It materialized a year after easyJet (yes) ceased flying to the Republic, linking Gatwick with Cork, Knock, and Shannon.

Crucially, Aer Lingus opened a short-lived five-aircraft base at Gatwick in 2009. According to OAG data, it had 14 routes to destinations in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands (Eindhoven; really), Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. It had 1.6 million seats to/from Gatwick that year, making it the airport's eighth-largest operator. (Ryanair was about 7% larger.)

The dismantling of its base was quick. It was heavily loss-making, not helped by a lack of brand awareness (except between the UK and Ireland), the Global Financial Crisis, and, of course, significant competition from multiple carriers. The image below shows its entire network from Gatwick since 2007.

Down to one route

By 2011, its Gatwick network had shrunk to five routes (Cork, Dublin, Knock, Malaga, and Shannon), three in 2013 (Belfast City, Dublin, and Knock), and two in 2017 (Dublin and Knock). It continues to serve Cork, Dublin, Knock, and Shannon from the core airport of Heathrow.

It returned to being a one-route operation (Dublin) in April 2023. And now, in January-March 2024 (Q1), it serves Dublin-Gatwick up to 31 times weekly (max five daily), making it its fifth most-served UK route. Due to its all-A320 operation, it ranks third by seats for sale.

In comparison, Ryanair is 55 weekly (max eight daily) on Dublin-Gatwick; no carrier could effectively compete with the ULCC's frequency or prices on this airport pair.

Aer Lingus' UK network: Q2 2024

Looking at April-June, after Gatwick has ended, Aer Lingus will have 19 UK routes from the Republic of Ireland, as shown below. (I have intentionally not considered Aer Lingus Regional from Belfast City.) In comparison, Ryanair will have 38 routes.

Aer Lingus' top 10 routes by weekly departures will be as follows: