Irish carrier Aer Lingus is seeking permission to enter the UK-US transatlantic market from next summer, with an initial three routes planned from a new base at Manchester Airport (MAN).
The Dublin-based airline has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate services to Boston (BOS), New York John F Kennedy (JFK) and Orlando (MCO) with two Airbus A330-300s. Two A321LRs, due for delivery in February and March respectively, will also be used.
A new subsidiary called Aer Lingus (U.K.) Ltd has been set up to fly the routes, with the UK Civil Aviation Authority expected to issue an air operator certificate during the first quarter of 2021. However, the UK-US flights will operate under the Aer Lingus name and have the EI designator code.