The chief executive of Aer Lingus, Dermot Mannion, says the acceptance by workers of a €50m cost saving plan means 200 staff will leave the airline and will not be replaced.
Speaking on RTE radio, Mr Mannion said Aer Lingus would continue to be a significant employer with 3,500 staff.
He also said the deal would make Aer Lingus more competitive and there was no need for a merger with Ryanair.
He said management had not yet engaged with any shareholders, including the Government, on Ryanair's takeover offer.
Mr Mannion said the cost-cutting deal would also safeguard the future of long-haul flights from Shannon.
Asked if further cost-saving measures were likely in the future, Mr Mannion said there were no guarantees in the future.
He said what had been achieved with the unions in the past couple of weeks was 'groundbreaking stuff'.
Yesterday, the results of a ballot of IMPACT members at Aer Lingus showed 59% of cabin crew workers voted in favour of the plan agreed between the unions and management at the Labour Relations Commission in November.
Last week, almost 80% of SIPTU members at Aer Lingus voted to accept the proposals that would see redundancies, lower pay and more efficient work practices.
