Kerry's problems are seemingly similar to Derry's: Similar passenger numbers with a total reliance on Ryanair and a PSO and located within 60 miles of the 2nd largest airport in Ireland and within 75 miles of the soon to be 3rd largest airport.
Summer 2010 routes:
Dublin 2x daily (PSO with Aer Arann)
Glasgow (Prestwick) 4x weekly (PIK based aircraft)
Liverpool 6x weekly (PIK based aircraft)
London Stansted 1x daily (STN based aircraft)
Birmingham 1x dailly (BHX based aircraft)
Alicante 2x weekly (ALC based aircraft)
Faro 2x weekly (FAO based aircraft)
Ryanair are the only airline to have shown any commitment to the airport but operates aircraft too large for frequent services and for the smaller destinations thus constraining development. Indeed its presence seems to intimidate the competition, Derry inexplicably unable to land routes to Edinburgh and Manchester, two massive routes at the other two Northern airports. Derry might have the edge on Kerry in terms of population (250,000 within 20 miles of Derry city centre) but the economy is very weak and bisected by the border which doesn't help.
Derry's only hope is to wait for Ryanair to form a base there (which is what recent £15 million runway and apron works were about) or to gain a second operator.
Would Ryanair ever form a base at Kerry?
Could Kerry gain another substantial operator?