Irish people have always gravitated to the UK, and London in particular.
In recent years, whether it be for work, pleasure or to transit through to the rest of the world, its airports have been an extension of this country to some degree.
So it is notable to see the decline in Aer Lingus services between Dublin and London in recent years.
A short-lived run between the Irish capital and London City Airport ended with the pandemic, while the former national carrier ended its Dublin-Gatwick route at the end of March. This week Aer Lingus said it would cut two flights from its Dublin-Heathrow service, citing the lack of recovery since the pandemic and that it is still assessing the impact of the pilots’ strike earlier this summer.
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That is not to say travellers will be really short of options to get to London from Dublin and vice versa.
There will still be about 10 Aer Lingus flights per day between Heathrow and Dublin on most days this winter. IAG stablemate British Airways still serves Dublin from Heathrow, City and Gatwick, while Ryanair offers extensive coverage to Luton and Stansted as well as Gatwick.
Still, it remains the case that what has traditionally been the most important air route for Irish business has now been downgraded somewhat.
There are plenty of reasons for this – not least the growth in direct routes from Dublin, particularly to the United States. It is reasonable to suggest, too, that the well publicised capacity constraints in both cities – the passenger cap in Dublin and the long-running saga of where to put a new runway in London – may play a role.
Could there be more cuts to the service in the future? There is no indication of that happening, and as a commercial enterprise Aer Lingus is absolutely entitled to do so if it feels it is warranted.
But there was no indication when the Gatwick route shut that Heathrow flights could be reduced. We shall see what the future holds.
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