Aer Lingus Regional flights cancelled as Stobart Air goes into administration

Aer Lingus Regional, which is run on a franchise basis by Stobart Air, collapsed last night as Stobart Air went into administration.

Twelve routes were currently operating under the franchise deal but are now suspended:

• Dublin – Kerry
• Dublin – Donegal
• Dublin – Glasgow
• Dublin – Edinburgh
• Dublin – Manchester
• Dublin – Newquay

• Belfast City – Manchester
• Belfast City – Birmingham
• Belfast City – Edinburgh
• Belfast City – Leeds Bradford
• Belfast City – Exeter
• Beflast City – East Midlands

This was, to be honest, almost inevitable.

In late 2020, Aer Lingus awarded the contract to run Aer Lingus Regional services to Emerald Airlines. This was a controversial decision because Emerald Airlines did not actually have any aircraft at the time. It was due to start running services from the end of 2022.

From that point Stobart Air – which was relying on the Aer Lingus contract for the bulk of its revenue – was in trouble.

As we covered, Stobart’s parent company put the airline up for the sale. A few weeks ago it announced that it planned to sell to a start-up company based in the Isle of Man called Ettyl. Carlisle Lake District Airport was also to be included in the sale.

Ettyl was run by a 26-year old called Jason Scales with no experience in the airline industry. Two weeks ago, Stobart’s parent company, Esken, announced that the sale was now in doubt because Ettyl could not raise the necessary financing as promised.

With no other bidders in the frame and with no immediate prospect of a short term pick-up in UK flying, the demise of Aer Lingus Regional last night was not a surprise.

What does Aer Lingus do now?

Aer Lingus now has an issue. Emerald Airlines is not in a position to pick up these routes for another 18 months, although clearly Stobart Air’s fleet of 13 turboprop aircraft are now available.

In the meantime, competitors will fill the gaps on its most lucrative routes. These competitors will be well established by the time that the Emerald Airlines franchise is finally launched, and Aer Lingus Regional may struggle to win back market share, apart from connecting traffic at Dublin.

EDIT: Aer Lingus and BA CityFlyer to step in this week

During Saturday, it has been announced that, for at least the next week:

• Aer Lingus will operate the Dublin/Edinburgh, Dublin/Manchester, Belfast City/Manchester, Belfast City/Birmingham and Belfast City/Edinburgh routes using its own aircraft

• BA CityFlyer will operate the Belfast City/Exeter route and the Belfast City/Leeds Bradford route

Passengers due to fly on other routes will be offered alternative routings or refunds. It isn’t clear if these interim arrangements will continue beyond next week.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.