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Two new Airbuses for Aer Lingus
AER Lingus has committed itself to paying €170m for two new long-haul aircraft. The two Airbus A3-30s, to be based in Dublin, are to be delivered next year.
The acquisition will bring to nine the number of A3-30s in the airline's fleet. Each plane is capable of carrying 280 passengers. The entire Aer Lingus fleet is made up of Airbus planes, including a short-haul fleet of six A321s and 21 A320s.
The airline has not yet decided which routes will be served by the new aircraft, but they are likely to be used to expand Aer Lingus's trans-Atlantic service if, as expected, the EU signs the Open Skies agreement.
Dermot Mannion, the Aer Lingus chief executive, said: "Appropriate debt financing will be put in place well in advance of delivery. In the meantime, our evaluation of new generation long haul fleet opportunities from both Airbus and Boeing continues."
Mr Mannion has previously said that the airline needs a €2bn investment to pursue it long-haul ambitions.
The Government is expected to sell about 52pc of its stake in Aer Lingus for €400m in the upcoming expected flotation, but half of the sale proceeds is expected to be used to plug the airline's pension deficit.