REG-Aer Lingus Group Plc EGM Statement

DUBLIN, Ireland & LONDON--(Business Wire)--

Aer Lingus shareholders approve terms of Airbus Purchase Agreement

ISE: EIL1 LSE: AERL

Dublin, 10 April, 2008: Aer Lingus Group plc ("Aer Lingus" or the "Group"), an
Irish low-cost, low-fares airline, providing both short-haul and long-haul
passenger transportation services, today held an Extraordinary General Meeting
to approve the terms of a Purchase Agreement with Airbus to purchase 12 aircraft
for delivery between 2009 and 2016. The resolution was passed by shareholders.

Speaking at the meeting, Aer Lingus Chairman John Sharman made the following
statement, outlining why the Directors considered that the terms of the Airbus
Purchase agreement were in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders:

"At the time of the IPO, the Board set out the key elements of the Aer Lingus
growth strategy and outlined that the clear objective of the IPO was to raise
capital to replace, modernise and grow our long haul fleet. In line with that
objective, following a very detailed process of review on our long haul
requirements, Aer Lingus agreed commercial terms in 2007 to purchase six
A330-300 aircraft and six A350-900 aircraft by 2016. The Company also has an
option to acquire six more A350-900 to be delivered between 2016 and 2018.

This agreement represents an excellent deal for the Company and its
shareholders. We have secured the required aircraft to ensure delivery of our
long haul strategy and successfully negotiated significant discounts from the
list price of US$2.4 billion. The resulting expanded and modernised fleet will
enhance Aer Lingus' ability to carry more passengers to more destinations and
capitalise on the range of new initiatives that the Company has put in place
(with JetBlue and United Airlines). The fleet acquisition will be financed
through a mix of internally generated cash flow and external debt.

The purchase of these aircraft is essential in the delivery of our stated
strategy because they will enable us to:

-- Provide our customers with a more modern and cost and fuel efficient
aircraft and also improve our environmental performance

-- Deliver a high quality long haul service, which is synonymous with the
Aer Lingus brand

-- Optimise opportunities for profitable long-haul growth as they may arise
over the longer term

High Quality Service

A key component of the Aer Lingus strategy is the ability to offer a high
quality service, with increased choice of travel destinations at lower fares. A
newly modernised and enhanced fleet enables us to meet rising customer
expectations, in both premier and economy, in terms of the best and most
comfortable service for long haul travel.

Highly modernised aircraft

The A330 aircraft employ significantly advanced technology in terms of engines
and avionics, new cabin interiors and lower fuel burn and emissions levels which
will enable us to reduce operating costs. Similarly, the A350 XWB which is
scheduled to enter into operation in 2013 will be the aircraft for greener
skies, offering much lower noise levels and much lower emission levels,
facilitating our growth in the most economic and environmentally responsible
manner.

Delivery of long haul strategy

Your Board expects the demand for air travel to continue to grow, including
increased demand for services between Europe and United States.

At the end of this month, we will celebrate our 50th year of travel to the
transatlantic market. This is a significant milestone for Aer Lingus which is
now operating 61 flights a week to the US and carrying in excess of 1 million
passengers per year. As a Board, we will take every available opportunity to
build on this success by increasing capacity and our route network and
capitalising on growth opportunities presented by market developments.

Last week saw the full commencement of Open Skies, which will permit EU and US
airlines to fly between every destination in the EU and US. While this agreement
results in increased competition, it also provides a significant growth
opportunity. Aer Lingus has already demonstrated its commitment to growth by
announcing three new direct services to Orlando, Washington Dulles and San
Francisco.

This week we have announced a codeshare with United Airlines. This is a
significant development, which will strengthen our position in the US market
over our seven gateways, as it allows us to capitalise on the scale and strength
of the United Airlines customer base and network of over 200 destinations In
addition, our industry first partnership with JetBlue offers us a unique
opportunity to capitalise on the JetBlue distribution network, allowing Irish
and US customers to seamlessly book a single low fare reservation between
Ireland and more than 40 continental U.S. destinations.

Conclusion

Last month, Aer Lingus published its annual results for 2007, in which the Group
reported a strong performance. At that time, we stated that the economic outlook
in the Company's main markets is uncertain in the short-term, due to a slowing
global economy and the rising price of fuel. We are also facing increased
competition. Despite these challenges, your Board remains confident about the
future prospects of Aer Lingus and about management's ability to deliver on our
strategy for growth.

In summary, the Board believes that the Airbus purchase agreement underpins Aer
Lingus' growth strategy. The purchase will substantially increase and upgrade
our fleet and as a result, we believe that the Purchase will have a beneficial
impact on Aer Lingus ability to generate increased returns for shareholders."

Aer Lingus will now proceed with the acquisition of the aircraft under the terms
agreed with Airbus.

Contacts

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Investors & analysts Irish Media International Media
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Olwyn Kelly Orla Benson / Sarah Ryan Rory Godson / Matthew Fletcher
Aer Lingus Group Plc Drury Communications Powerscourt

T: +353 1 886 3038 T +353 1 260 5000 T: +44 207 250 1446
E: +353 87 803 3262 (OB) +44 207 324 0491 (RG)
investor.relations@aerlingus.com +353 87 6767452 (SR) +44 207 324 0494 (MF)
+44 7909 926020 (MF)
Mark Kenny/Jonathan Neilan E: obenson@drurycom.com
K Capital Source E: matthew.fletcher@powerscourtmedia.com

T: +353 1 631 5500
E: aerlingus@kcapitalsource.com
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Aer Lingus Group Plc

Copyright Business Wire 2008