Chambers Ireland Air Transport Users Council Statement on Aer Lingus

Chambers Ireland’s Air Transport User’s Council has today (07/10/09) said that if Aer Lingus is to compete and ultimately survive then they have no choice but to reduce costs by any means necessary.

Spokesperson for the Council, Seán Murphy said, “At the time of the Initial Public Offering for Aer Lingus, the Air Transport Users Council noted that the airline was in a race against time to get its cost base under control to enable it to meet the threat of other long and short haul competitors.”

“The urgency of meeting this challenge has become increasingly apparent as the company burned through its cash reserves, ordered airplanes at the top of the pricing cycle and, until recently, actually increased staff numbers in the years since the IPO.”

“The company now faces very significant challenges to assure its viability. All parties must accept this reality and work together to address these issues if Aer Lingus is to continue as a viable independent airline,” he concluded.