The airline will cut its flying capacity by at least 75% in April and May.

Whether Qatar Airways further increases its stake in Aer Lingus and British Airways owner IAG will fully depend on the outcome of UK and EU Brexit trade talks, according to a leading aviation analyst.

Retired Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh helped coach St Flannan’s College to five Harty Cup and All-Ireland titles and is as passionate as ever about his old alma mater as they bid to win a first Munster Colleges crown in 15 years, writes Joe Ó Muircheartaigh.

Sean Doyle told the Irish Examiner that as Aer Lingus takes delivery of new, smaller aircraft with fewer seats, it will reevaluate prospects for transatlantic flights.

The retirement of Dubliner Willie Walsh from the IAG airline conglomerate he created will likely have little effect on the growth plans at Aer Lingus any time soon.

Mr Walsh - who orchestrated the creation of International Airlines Group (IAG) through the merger of British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia - will step down from the role and board of IAG on March 26 and retire on June 30.

Ryanair shares soared by nearly 9% yesterday despite the airline narrowing its forecast for full-year earnings and warning that it may have to wait longer for delivery of its new fleet of Boeing 737-Max jets.

Production issues are reportedly holding up the delivery of eight Airbus aircraft that Aer Lingus has ordered.

The owner of Aer Lingus and British Airways said it will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, becoming the first major airline group to make such a commitment.

Shares in Aer Lingus owner IAG fell by almost 4% after the group warned that full-year profit will be hit by a pilots’ strike at its British Airways subsidiary and weaker sales by budget stablemates Vueling and Level.

Willie Walsh, the boss of airline conglomerate IAG, which owns Aer Lingus, said that airports will have to cut charges they levy airlines and that Cork Airport’s financial health will not be harmed if they do so.

British Airways-owner IAG is facing a record $230m (€205m) fine for the theft of data from 500,000 customers from its website last year under tough new data-protection rules policed by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Last week two Irishmen, who are leaders in the world of aviation, made decisions that will have profound consequences for air travel worldwide.

Des O’Sullivan casts an eye over Morgan O’Driscoll’s online art sale BISHOP Willie Walsh of Killaloe is generally considered by liberals in Ireland to be one of the good guys.

Chief executive Willie Walsh has said his IAG board heard a strong case this week from Aer Lingus bosses for further expansion out of Ireland across the Atlantic.

The boss of the firm that owns Aer Lingus says he is "confident" that there will be a "comprehensive" air transport agreement between the UK and the EU after Brexit.

IAG, which owns Aer Lingus and British Airways, abandoned an eight-month pursuit of Norwegian Air Shuttle, leaving the indebted airline reeling as it faces a cash crunch during the slow winter season.

Aer Lingus has not ruled out expanding in Cork and Shannon as it plans a huge growth spurt across the Atlantic in the next five years, but Dublin appears likely to receive the lion’s share of the airline’s investment.

Norwegian Air has agreed to sell five Airbus 320neo aircraft, as a part of its plan to ease capital commitments and strengthen its balance sheet.

Aer Lingus has named Cork native Sean Doyle as its next chief executive, after announcing that the incumbent, Stephen Kavanagh, intends to step down at the end of the year.

It was just about to land in bookshops when Matt Cooper’s tome on Michael O’Leary encountered turbulence on the approach.

There’s something about the 1930s that sets it apart in the history of hurling, writes Paul Rouse

Pilot representatives at Ryanair will meet later today to decide on dates for another wave of strikes here.

Another day in the Brexit saga, and another round of soundbite diplomacy, with the Taoiseach warning that Irish airspace could be closed to overflying British flights if European Union fishing fleets are kept out of UK waters, to which the hardline Leavers holler blackmail.

Shares in low-cost, long-haul airline Norwegian rose almost 2% after it posted a surprise profit and record revenue in the second quarter.

Shares in low-cost, long-haul airline Norwegian rose almost 6% as speculation arose again that Aer Lingus-owner IAG is preparing a new takeover bid.

A man whose life was saved thanks to a publicly accessible defibrillator is urging the courts to come down hard on vandals who damage lifesaving equipment.

The chief executive of the International Airlines Group (IAG), Willie Walsh, has said there is no shortage of pilots in the airline industry, confirming that Aer Lingus has recently received 3,000 applications for 100 pilot jobs.

Brexit is unlikely to ground flights between the UK and EU, the chief executive of IAG, which owns Aer Lingus and British Airways, has said.