Aer Lingus has revealed it has no intention to immediately base itself in Britain.

Authorities from the UK aviation industry have confirmed that negotiations have been held with the Irish carrier concerning an application from the airline for a British Air Operator’s Certificate.

This type of certification could permit Aer Lingus to transfer its operations out of Dublin to more affordable hubs such as Gatwick or Belfast airports.

Aer Lingus is experiencing important financial challenges and has expressed the need to reduce salaries, in particular those of its pilots. The carrier is currently carrying out talks with unions concerning the introduction of a restructuring plan that would result in savings of nearly €100m.

While discussion on the matter of Aer Lingus acquiring a Certificate for Britain have been going on, Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have revealed that a formal application has yet to be lodged.

It’s been said that such an application process may take up to three months to secure.

Aer Lingus Corporate Affairs director Enda Corneille said the airline has no real immediate plan to move its base to the UK, even if such a move would be allowed under the new certification.

One of the main unions at Aer Lingus, Siptu, has revealed through a spokesperson that they are aware that the carrier might go forward with application process, although it doesn’t think it will impact heavily on the implications of the restructuring plan.

Subscribe for free and recieve the latest Self-Catering-Breaks news and stories
Filed under Business & Finance, Travel News, UK News

• Looming Takeover For Aer Lingus
• Aer Lingus Considering Move To Belfast or London
• Aer Lingus Still Optimistic Despite Poor Numbers
• Aer Lingus Could be Sold to Cut National Debt
• Aer Lingus Thinking of Restarting Routes to US
• Aer Lingus Reaches Agreement as Fears of Industrial Action Still Linger
• Irish Carrier Aer Lingus sees Traffic Drop 13.6%
• Aer Lingus Announces Profits But Warns of High Fuel Prices
• Ireland and UK Take Steps Towards Creating Single European Sky
• Aer Lingus Announces Increased Flight Frequency On Certain Routes

This entry was posted on Friday, December 4th, 2009 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Business & Finance, Travel News, UK News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.