Cork Airport Hosts Visit Of Oireachtas Joint Committee On Transport
Cork Airport Acting Managing Director Roy O’Driscoll hosted a visit this week of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, led by Committee chairperson, Kieran O’Donnell T.D. The Committee were in Cork on the invitation of daa Chairman, Basil Geoghegan for a meeting with airport management to discuss Cork Airport’s recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to look at Cork Airport’s growth projections for the next number of years along with receiving a comprehensive update on the major infrastructural works completed to date and projects currently being carried out.
In his presentation to the Committee, Roy O’Driscoll, outlined that, daa has invested €40m in major infrastructural projects at Cork Airport over the past three years. In 2020, €12m was invested in a new hold baggage screening system, an investment designed to bring the current baggage screening system up to modern security requirements. In 2021, Cork Airport undertook the largest and fastest infrastructural project completed in the state in recent times when the main jet-capable runway 16-34 was fully reconstructed and rehabilitated. The on-time, on-budget reconstruction of the runway was supported by an investment of €10m by the Department of Transport. In May, work commenced on the construction of a new electrical substation with an anticipated completion date of April 2023. The new substation will replace a currently, near-obsolete substation constructed in the 1960s. This project effectively represents phase two of the runway reconstruction which included a full replacement of legacy airfield lighting with modern, energy-efficient LED lighting to the highest modern specifications.
Cork Airport recently revised its 2022 passenger projections upwards to 2.1m. The upward revision from 1.8m is primarily due to the strong demand for international travel and the range of new route additions (for both summer and winter) that have been announced.
Cork Airport anticipates being the first state airport to reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers. In 2019, 2.6m passengers travelled through Cork Airport. It is anticipated that Cork Airport will serve this number of passengers in 2024.
With a total of 42 routes on offer in the year 2022, Cork Airport is the best-connected airport serving Munster and the south of Ireland. 8 airlines are operating scheduled services from Ireland’s second largest airport and busiest airport outside of Dublin. Central to Cork Airport’s expansive route network are regular scheduled services to some of the major European hub airports – London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Zurich – with some of the largest European airlines and flag carriers.
Speaking on the visit of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, Acting Managing Director at Cork Airport, Roy O’Driscoll said: “On behalf of Cork Airport, I was very pleased to welcome the members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications to Cork Airport today. The members were provided with detailed updates on Cork Airport’s performance as the post-pandemic recovery continues along with an outline of growth prospects for the next number of years. Cork Airport is tremendously grateful for the support of the Department of Transport in undertaking some key infrastructural projects – most notably, the reconstruction of our main runway. As a valued member of daa Group, Cork Airport will work towards continually improving the choice and variety for passengers across our route network.”
Main Photo: Pictured (L-R): Joe Carey T.D., Senator Jerry Buttimer, Senator Gerry Horkan, Roy O’Driscoll (Acting Managing Director, Cork Airport), Kieran O’Donnell T.D. (Committee Chairperson) and Cathal Crowe T.D.
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor, Type Rating Examiner and Base Training Captain on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He is also an instructor and EASA Examiner on single engines and a UK CAA Examiner. He 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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