BUSINESS

Aer Lingus cancels order for five jets

The cancellation of the A350 order leaves the smaller, single-aisled A321neo as the only new aircraft in Aer Lingus’s transatlantic fleet
The cancellation of the A350 order leaves the smaller, single-aisled A321neo as the only new aircraft in Aer Lingus’s transatlantic fleet
REGIS DUVIGNAU/REUTERS

Aer Lingus will not take delivery of five wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft it has on order, calling into question the future of its transatlantic operations that had expanded rapidly before the pandemic.

The troubled airline declined to comment on reports in the aviation press that its orders had disappeared from Airbus’s delivery books, having been transferred to another, unidentified, airline. They were part of an original order for nine A350s, four of which have ended up with Iberia, the Spanish sister airline of Aer Lingus within the International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) that also includes British Airways.

An update on Aer Lingus’s finances is due this week, when IAG reports its first-half results.

“Fleet purchases are not a short-term decision and this could signal smaller