FIRST-QUARTER operating losses at Aer Lingus grew by nearly 42% to €53.7 million this year but the airline has reiterated previous guidance that it will maintain profitability for 2011 as a whole.

STAFF at Aer Lingus are bracing themselves for the possibility of further cuts after management questioned the company’s future.

Aer Lingus has made a difficult start to the year, and has warned that its current cost-cutting programme may not now be enough to secure the airline's future.

THE ISEQ index ended the week on a high note at 2,985.84, up 48.07 points.

AER Lingus has upped the ante on the cabin crew embroiled in a dispute with management by threatening to fire staff who continue to refuse to operate the new rosters which it introduced last Monday.

AER LINGUS passengers are once more facing the threat of travel disruption after the company threatened to sack cabin crew members who refuse to work their full rosters next week.

AER LINGUS is on course to deliver an operating profit of €57 million for 2011 as it becomes the most restructured airline in Europe.

AER Lingus bosses used internal memos to all staff to praise those who have accepted the airline’s cost savings plans – and condemn cabin crew for voting to reject a key area.

THE outcome of a ballot that could lead to major unrest at Aer Lingus and the potential grounding of thousands of passengers through strikes will be made known this afternoon.

YET another war of words has broken out between Aer Lingus and its pilots over attempts to bring in a new savings programme at the airline.

AER LINGUS and its pilots will appear before an Oireachtas transport committee in the morning following a claim by the pilots that the company planned to get rid of workers and rehire them on inferior terms and conditions.

UK mobile phone firm mmO2 today announced the sale of its Dutch subsidiary O2 Netherlands to private equity firm Greenfield Capital Partners for €25m.