Aer Lingus CEO calls for removal of Dublin Airport night-time noise restrictions
"This restriction on night-time movements will have to be removed," Lynne Embleton stated.
"Together with the continued uncertainty around the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, it will have negative economic and employment impacts," the Aer Lingus CEO said.
"It is also now imperative that Government intervenes and urgently legislates for the removal of the passenger cap," she added.
Her comments come as Aer Lingus reported operating profits of €135m for the second quarter of this year, a significant improvement on its operating profit of €91m the same time last year.
The airline, which is owned by IAG, said this takes its operating profit for the first half of 2025 to €80m, compared to €9m for the first half of 20204.
Aer Lingus said its strong performance was driven by capacity growth and a robust revenue performance, while it also saw the benefit of favourable fuel pricing.
It saw a 4.3% increase in passenger numbers in the three month period, while it also reported 10.9% growth in overall capacity.
Aer Lingus began operating its biggest ever North American network this summer including the start of new services from Dublin to Nashville and Indianapolis as well as an expanded European leisure network.
It also announced its first direct flight to Cancún in Mexico, which is due to start in January 2026.
Ms Embleton said the airline's second quarter financial performance builds upon the momentum seen in the business in both the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Tullow Oil shares hit a five-year low as asset sales shrink future cash flow
The Irish-founded, UK-based oil company said average production in 2025 may be as low as 40,000 barrels a day, less than half its output in 2018. Tullow, which was founded by Irish accountant Aidan Heavey in 1985, went on to become one of the UK stock market's hottest independent oil explorers after making several major African discoveries in the late 2000s. By 2012, the business had a market capitalisation of €18bn, boosted by speculation it was on the cusp of being taken over by an oil major, high prices and a string of oil finds. However, the cost of servicing debts taken on to develop its African interests combined with an oil price slump from 2014 shifted that trajectory dramatically. Shares have fallen from a high of £13 each in 2012 to below 12p each by yesterday. The shares sank as much as 22pc yesterday, the lowest since April 2020, after the company reported another production decline in first-half results. 'Our 2025 strategic priorities remain clear: refinancing our capital structure, optimising production, increasing reserves and completing the sale of our Kenyan assets,' interim chief executive officer Richard Miller said in a statement. He sold his vintage cars and mortgaged his house to raise £1m to get the business off the ground A company spokesperson declined to comment on the share drop, but said Tullow has a long-term strategy for oil production, having signed an agreement with Ghana in June to extend its licenses there to 2040. Tullow attracted a strong Irish following as it listed in Dublin and London, as shareholders bet on Mr Heavey. The former Aer Lingus accountant set up Tullow Oil after learning of opportunities to exploit small fields considered uneconomic by oil majors. The native of Roscommon sold his vintage cars and mortgaged his house to raise £1m to get the business off the ground and initially targeted Senegal in west Africa. He led the business for decades as it expanded into a significant player in the sector, before stepping down as CEO in 2017 aged 64, having stayed on as the firm struggled with the fallout of plunging oil prices in 2014 and 2015. More recently, Tullow has struggled to bring Kenyan fields onstream. This year it agreed to sell the Kenyan deposits and offloaded assets in Gabon.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
US college football game in Dublin expected to generate €130m for Irish economy
The Aer Lingus College Football Classic game between Kansas and Iowa State University will be held on Saturday, August 23, and has been described as the most competitive to take place on Irish soil. It is expecting to bring in 24,000 international visitors, mostly from the US. Grant Thornton's figures show three previous games held in Ireland brought €382m into the economy. The 2025 game will bring that figure up to €512m, it said. The game – which is expecting to attract viewership figures of 4.5 million when broadcast live on ESPN – is described as a high-profile opportunity to promote Irish culture by the Government. Tourism Minister Peter Burke said it will boost Ireland's tourism profile. 'Not only will the event generate significant revenue in August, the extensive coverage of the game in the USA will also put Ireland's vibrant tourism offering in the shop window for those planning a trip in the future,' he said. This series also delivers trade, tourism, business, community engagement and economic benefits A week-long run of business and political events are scheduled to take place, including an Irish-US CEO Club, where up to 450 senior executives will attend. In previous years, golf resorts around the country were among the big winners, as groups of visiting fans opted to extend their stays well beyond the day of the game. The match and the associated events are being supported by Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Enterprise Ireland as part of a strategy to leverage international sporting events. 'The series has strongly positioned Ireland as a key overseas home for American football in Europe. Importantly, this series also delivers trade, tourism, business, community engagement and economic benefits,' junior culture minister Charlie McConalogue said. The title sponsor, Aer Lingus, says it is a valuable opportunity to increase transatlantic relations. 'The classic is a special event that celebrates sport, tradition, and transatlantic connection. We're proud to play a role in making these moments possible – connecting people, places, and possibilities through the power of sport,' Aer Lingus chief customer officer Susanne Carberry said.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Trump and Putin set to meet as early as next week, US allies told
The announcement has raised hopes that an end to the conflict could be in sight after more than three years of intense fighting. After speaking by phone to the American president, Mr Zelensky said he believed Russia was 'now more inclined to a ceasefire'. The positive signs came during a day of intense diplomatic activity. Mr Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met in Moscow with Putin, the Russian president, for three hours. At the same time, Mr Trump intensified his pressure on Moscow with fresh sanctions and declared Russia to be an 'extraordinary threat' to the United States. Mr Trump said he would hit India with a further 25pc trade tariff over its purchase of Russian oil, a vital source of income for the Kremlin. In a call with European leaders, Mr Trump set out his plan to meet with Putin as soon as next week, according to the New York Times. The first meeting would include only Putin and Mr Trump, followed by sessions with Mr Zelensky, and would not include any of their European counterparts. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the meeting plans. 'My special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin,' he posted on Truth Social. ADVERTISEMENT 'Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European allies.' At the same time, a senior administration official said secondary sanctions were still set to be imposed on countries trading with Russia tomorrow. 'The meeting with Russia and special envoy Witkoff went well,' the official said. 'The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday.' For his part, Mr Zelensky sounded an optimistic note. 'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire, the pressure on them is working,' he said. 'But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in detail, neither us nor the United States.' Yesterday brought a hectic slew of developments as Mr Trump continues to push for an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire, which would then pave the way for talks to establish a permanent peace deal. After Mr Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow, Mr Trump issued an executive order imposing tariffs on India and toughening his rhetoric on the threat from Moscow. 'I have received additional information from various senior officials on, among other things, the actions of the government of the Russian Federation with respect to the situation in Ukraine,' Mr Trump said. 'After considering this additional information, among other things, I find that … the actions and policies of the government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.' The language marked a significant shift from earlier this year, when Mr Trump went out of his way to placate Putin in order to coax him to the negotiating table. It is not clear what the 'additional information' is and White House officials did not respond to requests for more details. 'I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,' Mr Trump added in the executive order. Mr Trump had suggested that Mr Witkoff's meeting with Putin – their fifth – would determine any decision for the US president to follow through on threats to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. India and China are among the countries buying the most Russian crude oil, which analysts say provides key revenues for Putin to fuel his war machine in Ukraine. A top Russian presidential aide described the talks as 'useful and constructive'. 'Russia had conveyed signals to the American side on the Ukrainian issue and received corresponding signals from Trump,' Yuri Ushakov told reporters after talks wrapped up. Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine. Although this would offer some relief to both sides, it would fall short of the full ceasefire that Ukraine and the US have been seeking for months. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Mr Zelensky, said that a full ceasefire and a leaders' summit were required. 'The war must stop and for now this is on Russia,' he said on Telegram. Since direct peace talks resumed in May, Russia launched its heaviest airstrikes of the war, while Ukraine has continued to target Russian refineries and oil depots. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately striking a gas station to disrupt preparations for winter heating – an attack that Russia claims was targeting military-related infrastructure. Ukraine's energy ministry said the strike on the station near the Ukraine-Romania border was directed 'purely against civilian infrastructure' and targeting relations with Azerbaijan, the US and European partners. 'If the Russians are allowed to strike at our energy infrastructure and gas routes with impunity, then no infrastructure facility in Europe will be safe,' Ukraine's energy minister Svitlana Grinchuk said. 'Impunity only expands terror. That is why Russia must be held accountable for what it has done.'
