Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of the Republic of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015, and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group. The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.
Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus was a member of the Oneworld airline alliance, which it left on 31 March 2007. After the takeover by IAG, it was expected that Aer Lingus would re-enter Oneworld. However, at a press briefing on 15 November 2017, the airline's then CEO Stephen Kavanagh stated that the airline has "no plans to join Oneworld". The airline has codeshares with Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam members, as well as interline agreements with Etihad Airways, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines. Aer Lingus has a hybrid business model of low-cost and traditional carriers, operating a mixed fare service on its European routes and full service, two-class flights on transatlantic routes.
Ryanair owned over 29% of Aer Lingus stock, and the Irish state owned over 25% before being bought out by IAG in 2015. The state had previously held an 85% shareholding until the government's decision to float the company on the Dublin and London stock exchanges on 2 October 2006. The principal group companies include Aer Lingus Limited, Aer Lingus Beachey Limited, Aer Lingus Limited and Dirnan Insurance Company Limited, all of which are wholly owned.
On 26 May 2015, after months of negotiations on a possible IAG takeover, the Irish government agreed to sell its 25% stake in the company. Ryanair retained a 30% stake in Aer Lingus which it agreed to sell to IAG on 10 July 2015 for €2.55 per share. In August 2015, Aer Lingus' shareholders officially accepted IAG's takeover offer. IAG subsequently assumed control of Aer Lingus on 2 September 2015.
History
Early years
Aer Lingus was founded on 15 April 1936, with a capital of £100,000. Its first chairman was Seán Ó hUadhaigh. Pending legislation for Government investment through a parent company, Aer Lingus was associated with Blackpool and West Coast Air Services which advanced the money for the first aircraft, and operated with Aer Lingus under the common title "Irish Sea Airways". Aer Lingus Teoranta was registered as an airline on 22 May 1936. The name Aer Lingus was proposed by Richard F O'Connor, who was County Cork Surveyor, as well as an aviation enthusiast.On 27 May 1936, five days after being registered as an airline, its first service began between Baldonnel Airfield in Clondalkin, Dublin and Bristol Airport, the United Kingdom, using a six-seater de Havilland DH.84 Dragon biplane, named Iolar.
Later that year, the airline acquired its second aircraft, a four-engined biplane de Havilland DH.86 Express named Éire, with a capacity of 14 passengers. This aircraft provided the first air link between Dublin and London by extending the Bristol service to Croydon. At the same time, the DH.84 Dragon was used to inaugurate an Aer Lingus service on the Dublin-Liverpool route.
The airline was established as the national carrier under the Air Navigation and Transport Act. In 1937, the Irish government created Aer Rianta, a company to assume financial responsibility for the new airline and the entire country's civil aviation infrastructure. In April 1937, Aer Lingus became wholly owned by the Irish government via Aer Rianta.
The airline's first General Manager was Dr J. F. Dempsey, a chartered accountant, who joined the company on secondment from Kennedy Crowley & Co as Company Secretary in 1936 and was appointed to the role of General Manager in 1937. He retired 30 years later in 1967 at the age of 60.
In 1938, a de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide replaced Iolar, and the company purchased a second DH.86B. Two Lockheed 14s arrived in 1939, Aer Lingus' first all-metal aircraft.
In January 1940, a new airport opened in the Dublin suburb of Collinstown and Aer Lingus moved its operations there. It purchased a new DC-3 and inaugurated new services to Liverpool and an internal service to Shannon. The airline's services were curtailed during World War II, with the sole route being to Liverpool or Barton Aerodrome Manchester depending on the fluctuating security situation.
Post-war expansion
On 9 November 1945, regular services were resumed with an inaugural flight to London. From this point, Aer Lingus aircraft, initially mostly Douglas DC-3s, were painted in a silver and green livery. The airline introduced its first flight attendants.In 1946, a new Anglo-Irish agreement gave Aer Lingus exclusive UK traffic rights from Ireland in exchange for a 40% holding by British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways. Because of Aer Lingus' growth, the airline bought seven new Vickers Viking aircraft in 1947; however, these proved to be uneconomical and were soon sold.
In 1947, Aerlínte Éireann came into existence to operate transatlantic flights to New York City from Ireland. The airline ordered five new Lockheed L-749 Constellations, but a change of government and a financial crisis prevented the service from starting. John A Costello, the incoming Fine Gael Taoiseach, was not a keen supporter of air travel and thought that flying the Atlantic was too grandiose a scheme for a small airline from a small country like Ireland.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Aer Lingus introduced routes to Brussels, Amsterdam via Manchester and to Rome. Because of the expanding route structure, the airline became one of the early purchasers of Vickers Viscount 700s in 1951, which were placed in service in April 1954. In 1952, the airline expanded its all-freight services and acquired a small fleet of Bristol 170 Freighters, which remained in service until 1957.
Prof. Patrick Lynch was appointed the chairman of Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta in 1954 and served in the position until 1975. In 1956, Aer Lingus introduced a new, green-top livery with a white lightning flash down the windows and the Irish flag displayed on the fin.
First transatlantic service
On 28 April 1958, Aerlínte Éireann operated its first transatlantic service from Shannon to New York. In 1960, Aerlínte Éireann was renamed Aer Lingus.File:Aer Lingus Fokker Friendship Manchester 1965.jpg|thumb|Fokker F27 at Manchester Airport in 1965. The F27 was used on short-haul services between 1958 and 1966.Aer Lingus bought seven Fokker F27s, which were delivered between November 1958 and May 1959. These were used in short-haul services to the UK, gradually replacing the Dakotas, until Aer Lingus replaced them in 1966 with secondhand Viscount 800s.
The airline entered the jet age on 14 December 1960 when it received three Boeing 720 for use on the New York route and the newest Aer Lingus destination Boston.File:Carvair and ambassador at bristol airport 1965 arp.jpg|thumb|Aviation Traders Carvair that was used as a vehicle freighter is seen loading an Austin 1100 at Bristol Airport in 1964
In 1963, Aer Lingus added Aviation Traders Carvairs to the fleet. These aircraft could transport five cars which were loaded into the fuselage through the nose of the aircraft. The Carvair proved to be uneconomical for the airline partly due to the rise of auto ferry services, and the aircraft were used for freight services until disposed of.
The Boeing 720s proved to be a success for the airline on the transatlantic routes. To supplement these, Aer Lingus took delivery of its first larger Boeing 707 in 1964, and the type continued to serve the airline until 1986.
Jet aircraft
Conversion of the European fleet to jet equipment began in 1965 when the BAC One-Eleven started services on continental Europe. The airline adopted a new livery in the same year, with a large green shamrock on the fin. In 1966, the remainder of the company's shares held by Aer Rianta were transferred to the Minister for Finance.In 1966, the company added routes to Montreal and Chicago. In 1968, flights from Belfast, in Northern Ireland, to New York City started, however, it was soon suspended due to the beginning of the Troubles.
Aer Lingus introduced Boeing 737s to its fleet in 1969 to cope with the high demand for flights between Dublin and London. Later, Aer Lingus extended the 737 flights to all of its European networks.
In 1967, after 30 years of service, General Manager Dr J. F. Dempsey signed the contract for the airline's first two Boeing 747 aircraft before he retired later that year.
1970s to 1990s
On 6 March 1971, Aer Lingus took delivery of the first of two Boeing 747s for use on transatlantic routes. The company later purchased a third for its fleet but quickly offered it for lease because it was not initially profitable for the company to fly 747s across the Atlantic. In 1974, Aer Lingus unveiled a new livery which eliminated the word International and/or Irish from the fuselage titles. The livery included a dark green cheatline, light green upper surfaces and tail, split by a thinner blue line, plus a large white shamrock on the tail fin.In 1973 Aer Lingus opened the London Tara Hotel.
In 1976, Aer Lingus purchased Dunfey Hotels from Aetna.
In 1977, Aer Lingus recruited its first female pilot, Gráinne Cronin – the airline was the second in Europe to introduce female pilots.
In September 1979, Aer Lingus became the first European airline other than Alitalia to be used by Pope John Paul II, when he flew aboard a specially modified Boeing 747 from Rome to Dublin and later from Shannon to Boston. In the early 1980s, the 707s were phased out.
In 1983 Aer Lingus subsidiary Dunfey Hotels acquired Omni International Hotels.
In 1984, the airline formed a fully owned subsidiary, Aer Lingus Commuter, so that Aer Lingus could fly to larger cities in Ireland and Britain whose flying time from Dublin did not require jet aircraft. These services employed five of the Belfast-built Short 360 after conducting a trial with the Short 330. Around this time, Aer Lingus purchased a majority shareholding in the cargo airline Aer Turas, owner of some DC-8 freighter jets.
In 1988, Aer Lingus sold Omni Hotels to World International Holdings, Ltd., and the Hong Kong–based conglomerate The Wharf Limited for $135 million.
File:Aer Lingus, Dublin, February 1993.jpg|thumb|Aer Lingus Commuter Saab 340 at Dublin Airport in 1993Between 1987 and 1989, new Boeing 737s arrived to replace the older ones, and six Fokker 50s were added to the Commuter fleet. During 1990, after the passage of the deregulation act for the airline industry in Ireland, Aer Lingus reconsidered its operational policies. It retired the BAC One-Elevens and replaced them with five new 737s. In 1991, four Saab 340Bs arrived at the commuter division to replace the Short 360 aircraft. By 1992, Aer Lingus's entire original 737-200 fleet had been replaced and it was now the first carrier in the world operating all three versions of the second-generation 737. These were the −300, −400 and −500 series, although the −300 did not stay long in Aer Lingus service.
In 1994, Aer Lingus started direct services between Dublin and the United States using the Airbus A330 and in May of that year, Aer Lingus operated the first A330-300 ETOPS service over the North Atlantic. This led to the phasing out of the Boeing 747 and the briefly operated Boeing 767-300ER. On 2 October 1995, the Boeing 747 service ceased operations after twenty-five years of service. By that time, over eight million people had travelled across the Atlantic in Aer Lingus 747s. The late 1990s saw Aer Lingus return to Belfast with service to New York via Shannon. It also added Newark Liberty International Airport as a destination, but discontinued these flights in 2001.
In 1995 Aer Lingus sold Copthorne Hotels, a chain of 18 hotels in the UK, France and Germany and originally founded by British Caledonian, to cut operating loses. Aer Lingus had owned the chain since 1987.
The first Airbus short-haul aircraft arrived in 1998 in the form of the Airbus A321, initially to mainly operate the Dublin-Heathrow route. Six were delivered in 1998 and 1999. The first Airbus A320 was delivered in 2000, with three more added to the fleet by 2001.