Virgin Atlantic is coming to the rescue to boost long-haul capacity in Manchester after Aer Lingus confirmed on Wednesday that it was quitting the city with the demise of its flights to Barbados, Orlando, and New York JFK.
Aer Lingus has been competing head-to-head with Virgin Atlantic in Manchester on all three of these routes since 2021, when the Irish flag carrier spotted a potential gap in the market after leisure carrier Thomas Cook filed for bankruptcy.
The airline reassigned two of its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft to Manchester and employed around 200 cabin crew and support staff as the base progressively grew.
Late last year, however, Aer Lingus said it was seriously thinking about closing its Manchester long-haul operation because it was struggling financially compared to its long-haul business in Dublin.
Following a period of mandatory consultation with workers’ unions, Aer Lingus said the base would be permanently closed on March 31, although New York JFK flights will be grounded from February 23.
Virgin Atlantic now says it is working to quickly boost long-haul capacity out of Manchester, adding 12% more seats on its Orlando route during the peak summer period in 2026, by scheduling additional flights on key dates.
And the start of the Winter 2026 season will see Virgin Atlantic utilise a larger Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on the route, boosting capacity by 17%.
In a statement, the airline also said it intends to add even more capacity out of Manchester by Summer 2027, although the exact details of what that might look like haven’t yet been finalized.
“Manchester has been our home in the North for thirty years, and we’re in it for the long haul,” commented Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, Dave Greer, in a swipe at Aer Lingus.
“Increasing capacity on our Orlando and New York services is a clear signal of that commitment, ensuring customers can continue to travel across the Atlantic with increased options,” Greer continued.
Virgin Atlantic also said it was looking at headhunting Aer Lingus pilots who have been impacted by the airline’s decision to close its Manchester base. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the airline currently intends to employ any of the Aer Lingus cabin crew who will be made redundant.
Aer Lingus has been slammed for allegedly refusing to book passengers from cancelled flights onto non-stop flights operated instead by Virgin Atlantic. The airline now says, however, that some passengers are being rebooked on Virgin Atlantic flights.
In many cases, however, Aer Lingus wants affected passengers to first travel from Manchester to Dublin and then catch a long-haul flight. Aer Lingus plans to operate a temporary service from Dublin to Barbados to accommodate passengers affected by the Manchester base closure.
