Müller to leave Aer Lingus earlier than planned

Aer Lingus has confirmed that its chief executive Christoph Müller will leave the airline on February 28 rather than in May, as had been previously stated.

He is to become chief executive of Malaysia Airlines. Colm Barrington, chairman of the Aer Lingus board will assume executive responsibility for strategic matters until a new chief executive is appointed.

The news came after the airline confirmed it carried more passengers than ever in 2014, despite a challenging December which saw a sharp reduction in the number of short-haul passengers. The airline — including Aer Lingus Regional — carried more than 11m passengers in 2014, an increase of more than 340,000 on the previous year, while the main airline saw passenger numbers rise by more than 140,000.