Aer Lingus sold every seat on its transatlantic flights this summer. This was due to US tourists visting Ireland for 'The Gathering'
The demand for long haul routes from Aer Lingus outstripped supply despite the company increasing the frequency and number of routes to America.
CEO Christoph Mueller said that the market had handled the extra demand. “Long haul revenue growth was impressive and the market has absorbed the extra capacity we added on the North Atlantic this summer,” he said.
The strength of the long haul section offset weak short haul earnings which were impacted by the good weather in Ireland and weak European economy. The airline say that it will deliver profits in line with the €60m reported last year.
“We do not expect any improvement in the short haul environment for the rest of 2013 which remains characterised by heavily discounted fare offerings across Europe. The 2013 outlook on long haul remains positive with the exception of some weakness expected in November which was previously communicated.” Mr Mueller added.
