8th July is a special date in the history of Waterford Airport; on this date, a fledgling airline operated its first scheduled passenger flight, which was the airport’s first international passenger service. This airline went on to become a major player in the airline industry and has gone from strength to strength. Of course, we are talking about Ryanair.
At 08:30 hrs on 8th July 1985 and using the flight number “RY101” for ATC purposes, a 15-seater Brazilian made Embraer Bandeirante, with the Irish registration EI-BPI, took off from Waterford Airport’s 1200m runway for London-Gatwick. The pilots on that flight were Capt. Gerry Headon (RIP) and First Officer Pat Griffin. The total number of Ryanair personnel based at Waterford Airport at that time consisted of six pilots, two cabin crew, and two engineers.
Reservations were conducted from a desk in the Tourist Office on the Quay in Waterford City. No computers were used for reservations, the passenger details were on individual cards for each flight which were written in pencil to allow for changes. The boarding card at check-in were hand-written with the passenger’s name! On board catering was provided at the Waterford end by P.J. Reddy of The Reginald bar and consisted of smoked salmon, I kid you not .
One national journalist who sampled the service said it reminded him of accounts of the early passenger services of the pioneering airlines, with the atmosphere being like travelling in a first-class carriage on a long train journey.
Ryanair’s General Manager was Christy Ryan (RIP), and Chris Hennessy was the Airport Manager. The Ryanair and airport staff at the time had a very close working relationship, and there was a great, friendly atmosphere. Chris Hennessy continues to be actively involved with Waterford Aero Club.
Little did anyone who witnessed the departure (me included) ever think that this small operator with humble beginnings, not only would make it through the first difficult year of operations, but would still be standing strong 40 years later.
Happy Birthday Ryanair!
As Europe’s largest airline celebrates its 40th Birthday, we bring you a personal memory of that first flight by Waterford resident and aviation enthusiast, Donal Leahy
