Aer Lingus weighs Pittsburgh flights

Irish Times

2 days ago

Aer Lingus
could begin flights to Pittsburgh in the United States from Dublin next year as part of a further expansion of its North American business.
As announced last week, the Irish airline earned €80 million profit in the first six months of the year, during which it began operating its biggest ever transatlantic network, adding Nashville, Tennessee and Indianapolis, Indiana, to its schedule. However, the airline made an operating loss of €55 million in the first quarter.
Aer Lingus is now weighing
Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania, as a possible destination for 2026, it is understood. The company did not comment on likely new routes for next year, but it could add two more US cities to its roster in summer 2026.
In addition, it is very likely to add more flights to well-established destinations, including New York and Boston, which it has been serving for decades.
Speaking after Aer Lingus published results on Friday morning, chief executive
Lynne Embleton
confirmed that it was considering further expansion of its transatlantic business, but did not provide any details.
She noted that the company, which earned €135 million in profit in the three months to the end of June, was enjoying strong momentum.
Aer Lingus has already confirmed that it will begin direct flights to Cancún, Mexico, from January 2026.
The
Pittsburgh Steelers
will clash with the
Minnesota Vikings
in a regular National Football League (NFL) game in Croke Park on September 28th, creating an opportunity to promote Ireland as a holiday destination to people from both parts of the US.
Pittsburgh has a large Irish-American population, many descended from 19th-century immigrants. Art Rooney, father of former US ambassador to Ireland, the late Dan Rooney, founded the Steelers.
Dan Rooney was president and chairman of the club during a period when it won six Super Bowls. He was also a co-founder of the Ireland Funds with Tony O'Reilly, and is related to actors Kate and Rooney Mara.
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Aer Lingus's performance in the first half of the year contrasted with the same period in 2024, when it earned a profit of €9 million.
The build-up to a pay dispute with pilots hit bookings last year, but Ms Embleton noted that even excluding that negative impact, the airline's profits this year were still €20 million in advance of 2024.
Aer Lingus took delivery of three Airbus A321 extra-long range (XLR) between late last year and May.
Luis Gallego, chief executive of the Irish company's owner,
International Airlines Group
, confirmed that it would receive a further three later this year.
The aircraft cut the cost of long-haul flying, opening more opportunities in transatlantic services for Aer Lingus.
The airline said on Friday that it increased capacity by close to 11 per cent in the three months to the end of June.
Passenger numbers rose by 4.3 per cent during the same period. Lower fuel costs also helped boost its financial performance during the first half of this year.
Ms Embleton confirmed that the company was considering a court challenge to a recent An Coimisiún Pleanála ruling restricting night flights at Dublin Airport to 35,672 a year.
The decision was meant to deal with local concerns over noise. The airline chief branded the limit 'completely unnecessary' and noted that most airports dealt with noise through quota systems.
Aer Lingus rival Ryanair is also weighing a challenge to the ruling. Airlines want the Government to axe this restriction and the 32 million a year limit on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.
.