Aer Lingus served New York, Orlando and Barbados from Manchester, but will stop flying to New York from 23 February. The two other routes will close at the end of March.

The Irish carrier will put on a number of Dublin-Barbados services in April and May to accommodate customers affected by its decision to shutter its Manchester transatlantic operation.

Citing Aer Lingus's decision, Virgin on Friday (30 January) said it would increase capacity on its existing Manchester-Orlando route by 12% this summer through the addition of extra flights, which will go on sale on Tuesday (3 February).

It also plans a further 17% increase in winter capacity by deploying larger Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on the route, and expects "further capacity increases from Manchester" for summer 2027.

Virgin is also taking on a number of Aer Lingus pilots, and is working with the Irish carrier to support customers affected by its decision to stop flying from Manchester – including re-protecting passengers onto Virgin flights "where possible".

'Manchester matters to us'

Dave Geer, Virgin Atlantic's chief commercial officer, said: “Manchester has been our home in the north for 30 years and we’re in it for the long haul. Increasing capacity on our Orlando services is a clear signal of that commitment, ensuring customers can continue to travel across the Atlantic from their local airport.

"We’re also proud to be welcoming experienced Aer Lingus pilots into Virgin Atlantic and to be supporting customers impacted by their changes. Manchester matters to us, and we’ll continue to invest in the region as demand grows.

Aer Lingus told staff last November it was considering the "long-term viability" of its Manchester transatlantic base, stating long-haul operating margin at Manchester was continuing to "significantly lag behind" Aer Lingus’s Irish long-haul operating margin.

Then in January, Aer Lingus stopped selling tickets for transatlantic services from Manchester departing beyond the end of March "to minimise customer disruption in the event of a closure of the Manchester base".

Agents accused Aer Lingus of "throwing them under a bus" with its decision to stop flying transatlantic from Manchester, claiming that after several weeks of uncertainty, the decision had created a logistical "nightmare" fro them just as peaks was ramping up.