Aer Lingus could cut flights next winter and summer as it bids to save cash to boost returns to its owner International Airlines Group (IAG), the company’s management has told pilots.The Irish carrier is reviewing its costs after reporting that losses almost doubled to €103 million in the first three months of this year.That review could result in a “reduction in flying for winter 2026 into 2027 that falls below that operated in winter 2025 into 2026,” Capt Evan Cullen, Aer Lingus director of flight operations, said in a letter to pilots.“It is currently envisaged that the summer schedule 2027 will not match that operated in 2026,” Cullen added.Aer Lingus expanded its schedules last winter and this summer, adding new routes from Dublin and Cork, including flights from the capital to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, in the US.The losses in the first three months of this year were mostly down to factors other than the Middle East crisis, which has doubled jet fuel prices, Cullen’s letter noted.“The impact of the geopolitical crisis was not a major factor in this loss,” he said, adding that the airline has yet to feel the brunt of this.Once executives complete the review and decide on a plan to tackle costs, flight operations will engage with trade union, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), on meeting these targets, the letter added.[ About 23,000 Aer Lingus passengers to face flight disruptionOpens in new window ]Cullen, a former Ialpa president, noted that Aer Lingus failed to meet targets set for its airlines by IAG last year and is unlikely to do so in 2026.IAG, which also owns British Airways and Spanish carriers, Iberia and Vueling, seeks a return on capital invested in each company of 12 per cent to 15 per cent.While the airline is also exploring ways to boost revenue, it needs to “change its structure” to deliver this return, Cullen warned.Speaking after it published its last financial results, Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton said the review would be across the board and would include suppliers, who account for a large proportion of costs, as well as operations.She also said that the company would enter talks with unions representing pilots, cabin crew and ground staff.Aer Lingus said on Tuesday that its financial performance reflected a “more challenging” economic environment.“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,” a statement added.The airline has not yet finally decided on cuts to its schedule.The company normally communicates with staff about its performance when it publishes financial results.The airline stressed that it had enough fuel for the summer when it published the results earlier this month.Embleton argued that reports of cancellations sparked by fuel shortages or rising costs were “completely overplayed”.Meanwhile, Ryanair assured investors this week that it would have enough fuel to fly its summer schedule.