Irish flag-carrier Aer Lingus has attracted interest from several parties following its decision to pursue the possible sale, or sale and leaseback, of aircraft.
The airline sought interest, through a formal request for information, last month and, in a third-quarter management update today, says it obtained a "significant number" of expressions of interest by the closing date.
It adds: "The company will seek to pursue the disposal of some units in the fleet should there not be the demand or appropriate cost base to operate them."
While the airline is still experiencing difficult conditions, it says the removal of capacity on poorly-performing routes is having a "positive impact", stabilising load factors and yields.
Aer Lingus' third-quarter revenues were down by 9.7%, as passenger numbers fell by 7%.
Overall load factor increased, however, by 1.3 points to 80.4%. While the airline cut long-haul capacity by 18%, long-haul load factor rose marginally to 77.8%.
Short-haul loads also increased, by 1.4 points to 82%, even as Aer Lingus increased short-haul capacity by 10.5%.
Yields remained poor as long-haul average fares fell by 17%, and short-haul fares declined by more than 12%. But the carrier says that the pace of this fare decline "does not appear to be accelerating currently".
Aer Lingus initiated a turnaround plan last month to cut costs by €97 million ($145 million) per year, of which €74 million will be derived from reducing staff expenditure.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
