Cork Airport hosted a high-level ministerial visit on Wednesday as Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD and Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD, together with department officials, visited the airport to see the early stages of daa Group’s €200 million capital development plan at Cork Airport take shape. The Ministers and their officials were welcomed by airport managing director, Niall MacCarthy and airport management and received a detailed briefing on the various elements of the €200 million capital development programme. Following the briefing, the Ministers performed the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new staff and goods security screening area, which was completed over a three-month period, on time and on budget by PJ Hegarty & Sons, working with daa Infrastructure and AtkinsRéalis, the design team.
The Ministers and department officials also had the opportunity to take a tour and view the progress on the new mezzanine floor, which will be the location of the airport’s new passenger security screening area. This facility, which will open in December of this year, is also progressing on time and on budget, and the Ministers were provided with a tour by representatives of PJ Hegarty & Sons, construction partners for the project, along with members of the daa Infrastructure team.
Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport, Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD and Seamus McGrath TD at a meeting in Cork International Airport.
As he welcomed both Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State, Jerry Buttimer, Managing Director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy said: “Cork Airport experienced its highest ever passenger numbers last year and was named Best Regional Airport in Europe by ACI Europe. Our capital programme, once complete, will put in the infrastructure to handle five million passengers and beyond. We are proud of delivering quality infrastructure projects, on time and on budget, and complement our construction partners and team.”
Speaking on the occasion of his visit to Cork Airport, Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD, said: “It’s a pleasure to visit Cork Airport today, as our second largest State airport. I am heartened to see that daa’s capital programme is proceeding at pace and demonstrating on-time, on-budget delivery. Once completed, this development programme will deliver efficiencies along with a better passenger experience for all those who will travel through the airport.”
Echoing Minister O’Brien’s comments, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD, added: “Cork Airport supports over 12,000 jobs in our region and is responsible for an economic impact of over €1 billion. I’m delighted to see the infrastructure expansion, and I am strongly engaged to improve public transport links to make the airport more accessible across the region.”
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Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport, Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD and Seamus McGrath TD at a meeting in Cork International Airport.
Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD and Minister of State at Department of Transport, Jerry Buttimer TD visited Cork Airport to view the progress on the airport’s €200 million capital development plan and to open the airport’s new staff/goods security screening area.
Photo. Darragh Kane
