Its only a matter of time before there is a Waterford-London route again.
But why? The SE is currently one of the most economically depressed areas of the country. Adding a few metres to the runway is not going to change that. Cf same argument on the Cardiff thread.
There seems to be an obsession with "a London route" but why? Unless you live right in Waterford city, you're probably going to be closer to Cork or Dublin and those two airports will always have a better choice of flight times and prices. With the various London area airports (with the possible exception of Southend) making it clear they'll charge <50-seaters the same rates as larger a/c, Waterford-London will always be a high-fare, limited service route competing with two better options. Does anyone anywhere have any up-to-date data that supports demand for even a once-a-day service?
I happen to believe Waterford has great potential as a regional airport, provided it looks towards providing a range of different, much more imaginative services for inbound traffic rather than catering ever more desperately to the emigrant shuttle buses. However, that depends on people in catchment area also recognising that there are other markets and destinations than the UK and doing something to develop them. Answering their e-mails would be a good start.
