"I very much understand the concerns pilots are having around the next few months and how IAG/Aer Lingus will react to the current geopolitical crisis," said Mr Cullen, who was appointed to the role in February following a long service as president of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa).

"I do suggest that innovation and thinking outside the box might be in the long-term interests of the Cork base."

In a letter to Mr Cullen on Thursday morning, Ialpa said it was “difficult to reconcile the implication” in his communications that Cork pilots should be “considering extraordinary flexibility” or “informal solutions regarding the viability or future of the base".

The union said the available evidence points in the “opposite direction", and that Cork Airport is a “proven growth market with substantial commercial potential".

Losses at Aer Lingus have deepened further this year, totalling €103m at the end of March, in what the airline called typically the worst quarter of the year.

It said the first three months of 2026 were hit by several additional challenging macro-economic factors, including fuel price hikes and rising carbon costs.

Jet fuel prices have more than doubled since the war in Iran erupted at the end of February, shutting the Strait of Hormuz and squeezing oil prices.

'We are not immune'

In a press conference earlier this month, Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton told reporters: "While we are not seeing interruptions to jet fuel supply, and we are confident of supply to operate our summer schedule, we are not immune to the impacts of sharp rises in fuel prices.

"In the context of a potentially longer-term change in fuel prices and a more uncertain global environment, we are actively reviewing our cost base and our schedule beyond the summer to ensure that we operate as efficiently as possible and are positioned well for the future.” 

Asked about potential job cuts at the airline, Ms Embleton said: "We need to reduce costs to meet our targets."

She added that the airline would consult with worker unions on how to achieve this.

In its letter to Mr Cullen on Thursday, Ialpa called his comments on the Cork base “particularly concerning” when viewed against the actual commercial and operational reality of Cork Airport.

“It is not a declining or marginal operation that requires ‘out of the box’ thinking from individual pilots to secure its future,” the union said.

Employing around 200 Aer Lingus staff members across pilots, cabin crew, and operations, Cork Airport recorded 3.46m passengers in total last year, making it the busiest year in its 64-year history. 

The number for 2025 represented a 13% increase on figures from the previous year and marked a third consecutive year of double-digit growth.

“Cork pilots have consistently delivered professionalism, flexibility, and operational reliability over many years,” Ialpa noted.

“The future of the Cork base should therefore be centred around sustainable expansion, increased commerciality, additional aircraft utilisation, and the development of commercially viable, new routes through proper management planning and investment, not indirect attempts to transfer commercial responsibility onto individual pilots outside established collective processes.” 

Asked to comment on the email, Aer Lingus issued a statement to the Irish Examiner stating: "In the context of a potentially longer-term change in fuel prices and a more uncertain global environment, Aer Lingus is actively reviewing our cost base and schedule beyond the summer to ensure that we operate as efficiently as possible and are positioned well for the future."