Some details from interviews at IWAK today. Michael O'Leary in buoyant mood, said Ryanair carrying over 400,000 each year through the "most profitable, best run regional in Ireland"...
- Summer routes have gone "phenomenally well"
- In discussion with IWAK on 3 more routes next year, 2 European, 1 UK
- Airport needs help from Tourism agencies to deliver new routes
- Need to target marketing support where airlines are delivering capacity
- "NOC / KIR thriving through the downturn...government airports a disaster"
Leo Varadkar seemed to be on the same script...
- There to celebrate IWAK and Ryanair's success in bring in tourists to West
- NOC and SNN can survive but "NOC breaks even...SNN losing a lot of money"
- Lot more problems with SNN which is run by a state company..."lessons to be learned"
- No reversing cutbacks, "support to regional airports will be reduced in coming years"