Ireland West Airport Knock sees 3% Increase in Seat Capacity this Winter
The airport will see a 3% increase in seat capacity available from the airport this winter. Ryanair will increase capacity on its London Stansted service by 7% this offering over 20 weekly return services providing flexible daily return options in particular for the business and commuter passenger. In addition, Ryanair will operate up to 32 weekly services to and from East Midlands Nottingham, Liverpool and Luton airports, providing the only connectivity to these key markets from the West and North West of Ireland. Ryanair will once again operate a weekly service to Lanzarote.
Flybe will operate up to 24 weekly services to and from Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester, increasing the range of options for travellers both in the UK and this region whilst Aer Lingus will continue to operate daily return service to London Gatwick.
Pre-tax profits at the company that operates Ireland West Airport Knock last year increased by 473% to €642,788. In a record-breaking year the airport’s passenger numbers increased by 7% or 48,000 to 733,869 as revenues increased by 3% to €12.6m.
The directors state that the growth in passenger numbers last year was fuelled by the commencement of new services to Birmingham and Edinburgh with Flybe, to Costa Dorada and the arrival of the first ever charter service from Boston with Aer Lingus. They state that the airport continued to benefit from the development of the Wild Atlantic Way and the airport’s location at its centre. The airport now reaches 22 international destinations – 16 of which are scheduled services.
The airport is forecasting close to 750,000 passengers during 2017 which would be a 2% increase on 2016. Numbers employed by the airport last year increased from 117 to 130 with staff costs increasing from €4.9m to €5.32m. Directors’ remuneration decreased to €167,999. Shareholder funds total €2.96m. The company’s cash balance increased threefold to €4.7m.
The airport is continuing its pursuit of an airline partner to establish seasonal US services and is pursuing opportunities with the recent market entrants, Norwegian and WOW air according to the Irish Independent.
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot by profession flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He also instructs on them including tailwheel differences training and is a UK CAA Examiner. He also flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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