Aer Lingus has reported an operating loss of €55 million for the first three months of the year, down from €82 million in the same period last year.
The airline said the improved performance was driven by increased capacity and lower fuel costs.
The overall increase in capacity included a 4.5 per cent increase on North American routes and an increase of 7.1 per cent in Europe.
“The summer season has now started, and Aer Lingus is operating its biggest ever North American network in summer 2025 including new services from Dublin to Nashville and Indianapolis and an expanded European leisure network,” it said.
Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures published earlier this year indicated a sharp drop-off in the number of tourists arriving in the Republic from the US in the early months of 2025 compared with last year. Media reports have also suggested that some European tourists are shunning trips to the US following Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, against a backdrop of heightened trade tensions and economic uncertainty.
Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton denied that there has been any noticeable change in booking patterns to and from the US this year.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, she said the CSO data “doesn’t match” what Aer Lingus is seeing, adding that she has been “particularly” pleased with bookings on North American routes.
Passenger numbers at Aer Lingus rose by 1.8 per cent to 2.14 million for the three-month period, with the average capacity put at 75.3 per cent.
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Ms Embleton said: “Our Q1 2025 financial performance represents a strong financial outcome and a significant improvement on Q1 2024, in what is typically the weakest quarter of the year.
“The first two of six A321 XLR aircraft are now in service and operating on our new routes to Nashville and Indianapolis,” she said.
Aer Lingus owner IAG on Friday said it had placed an order for 53 new Airbus and Boeing long-haul aircraft.
The order consists of 32 Boeing 787-10 aircraft for British Airways and 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, which may be assigned to Aer Lingus, Iberia, or LEVEL, IAG said.
US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday that as part of the trade deal agreed between the US and the UK an unnamed British airline had agreed to buy $10 billion of Boeing planes.
IAG reported a better-than-expected first-quarter profit on Friday, helped by increased demand, and said it was seeing resilient demand across its markets despite macroeconomic uncertainty.
