Aer Lingus has announced that it will end all transatlantic operations from Manchester Airport by the end of March.
The Irish airline will cease Manchester-New York flights from 23 February and plans to operate a Dublin to Barbados route during April and May to reaccommodate affected customers.
From 31 March, all Aer Lingus transatlantic operations will cease from Manchester Airport.
Aer Lingus did not confirm how many jobs would be affected.
The company will be in touch with staff representative groups to discuss the phased reduction in operations, redeployment opportunities and the terms of a severance package.
A spokesperson from the airline has said: “Aer Lingus acknowledges that this is a very difficult time for colleagues based in Manchester and will seek to ensure that colleagues are kept informed and supported as discussions evolve during the next phase of the consultation.”
There will be no impact on the service between Manchester and Ireland, both on Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional (Emerald Airlines) routes.
For customers, the airline has confirmed that they will be ‘informed directly’ if their flights are affected and ‘provided with reaccommodation and refund options’.
This announcement comes after weeks of speculation and uncertainty surrounding the Aer Lingus operations in Manchester, after they announced they would move their base from the city last year.