Aer Lingus profits rise, considers legal action against Dublin Airport caps  

Aer Lingus, the airline of the Republic of Ireland, has announced impressive second-quarter results for 2025. The airline has also said it is considering legal action against Dublin Airport, whose movement cap is stifling the airline’s growth, according to the carrier.

As reported by the Irish Times, in a statement to shareholders issued on September 5, 2025, the airline said it had earned operating profits of €135 million ($149 million)  in the three months to the end of June 2025. This figure represents an increase of over 43% over the same period in 2024.

The airline’s CEO, Lynne Embleton, told investors on an earnings call that, despite the impact and hangover of a pilot strike at the airline in mid-2024, first-half profits for the financial year were €20 million ahead, showing there was “real momentum” in the business. The airline described its financial results as a “significant improvement” on the corresponding quarter in 2024, when it earned operating profits of €91 million ($101 million). Aer Lingus’ operating profit for the first half of 2025 reached €80 million ($88 million) compared with just €9 million for 2024.

Aer Lingus said its performance was largely down to capacity growth, as well as a “robust revenue performance”. The company said it also benefited from favourable fuel pricing. There was a 10.9% growth in overall capacity and a 4.3% increase in passenger numbers compared with the same period in 2024. Ms Embleton said the airline’s performance built upon momentum from the previous two quarters.

Croatorum / ShutterstockThe carrier has already taken delivery of three Airbus A321XLRs in 2025, allowing it to open up new transatlantic routes such as Dublin to Nashville and Dublin to Indianapolis. The carrier is also due to take delivery of three more of the long-range twinjets by the end of 2025. She also announced that, given the early success of the A321XLRs, the airline was evaluating the addition of further US services in 2026.

Dublin caps becoming a legal issue

Despite the good news, frustration is growing at the Irish carrier in relation to the restriction of midnight flights at Dublin Airport (DUB), the airline’s primary operating base. Planners have proposed limiting night flights at the airport (defined as those flights taking off or landing between 23:00 and 07:00) to a cap of 35,672 a year. The airline’s CEO said that the company is lining up a legal challenge to this ruling, stating that the limitation would be detrimental to both economic growth, expansion of the airport, and the local jobs market.

The airline is also to overturn a previous ruling that limits overall annual passenger movements at the airport to 32 million. The Irish government ruling also provides for a noise quota system, which takes into account how much noise each type of aircraft makes. However, planners decided that this was not enough on its own to deal with locals’ concerns over noise, hence the further restrictions.

Aer LingusEmbleton warned that both limitations could “impede both future growth of north Atlantic traffic and the basing of additional short-haul aircraft in Dublin”. Embleton confirmed that Aer Lingus was considering filing a legal claim to request that the Irish courts overturn the ruling.

“The way in which most airports deal with this is through a noise quota system,” she said, dubbing the flight limit “completely unnecessary”.

Airlines have branded the planning commission ruling, issued in August 2025,  limiting Dublin night flights to 35,672 a year, a “second passenger cap”. Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, who has been a long-standing and vociferous opponent to any form of capping at Dublin Airport, has also recently confirmed that his airline was also considering a challenge to the commission’s ruling.

RELATED

Garmin Autoland and Autothrottle certified for King Air 300/350 

The post Aer Lingus profits rise, considers legal action against Dublin Airport caps   appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source