KERRY

[EI-BUD]

Part of the problem for Kerry Airport is that the 738 is too big for many of the routes that would be desirable. Liverpool would like be one of the more relevant destinations from Kerry but a 738 is just too big. This is an ATR42 size route. Manchester was just about sustainable with an Aer Arann (think it was 72?) and the fact that Aer Arann lost the PSO meant that MAN KIR got the axe (i know they did continue it as a W pattern from MAN).

If Ryanair cannot make a route work other carriers are not interested in coming in when Ryanair axe the services. There are many examples
Dublin/Humberside (50% load was achieved on daily 738)
Dublin/Cardiff (the issue as headlined was fees but the yield was too low and hence more suited to smaller ac as 738 was too big for 1 daily rotation)
Dublin/Teesside
Dublin/Blackpool
Kerry/Liverpool
Dublin/Doncaster Robinhood

etc.

Kerry airport and many small regional airports need a well know brand airline, who has a good value perception, operates the correct aircraft at a reasonable frequency.

If an ATR was based at KIR I could see the following working;

Daily Manchester
Daily Birmingham
Daily Belfast City (EI had regular charters on 735 in 90s)
twice Weekly Dusseldorf (Kerry popular with Germans, subject to ac ability, may need to be one stop)
Daily Gatwick

Even a plane such as Let 410 or dornier would be a good addition (eg Manx 2 example) to develop these sort of routes and make the likes of a double daily MAN or LPL service. Obviously there would be high enough cost for operating such a small aircraft over a long sector but I think if marketed properly would work.

EI-BUD

[airhumberside]

If Ryanair cannot make a route work other carriers are not interested in coming in when Ryanair axe the services. There are many examples
Dublin/Cardiff (the issue as headlined was fees but the yield was too low and hence more suited to smaller ac as 738 was too big for 1 daily rotation)
Dublin/Blackpool

Aer Arann picked up both of those routes

[eirbus06]

1sky,just to reply to your observation about wether people know if kerry has an airport or not.I am from cork and two years ago i was on a tour around the island crete and i got talking to a couple from kildare. They said that they had not seen my on the flight out from dublin and i said that i had flown from cork airport direct. The response i got was " doe's cork have an airport,i never knew that!". I rest my case.

[EI-BUD]

airhumberside, you are correct on this Aer Arann did pick up these routes, but there are many examples where 738 and Ryanair for one reason or another didnt work or was axed and no alternative carrier commenced flying on same.

[Charlie Roy]

RTÉ Business: Aer Arann flying new routes to UK

Kerry - Manchester

M--TF-S noon / early afternoon

[Keyvon]

Kerry is to get a new Ryanair route to Duesseldorf (Weeze), as of 1st July.

Should be bookable from 8th April.

[Charlie Roy]

Kerry is to get a new Ryanair route to Duesseldorf (Weeze), as of 1st July.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays:
KIR - NRN >>> 0900 - 1205
NRN - KIR >>> 1230 - 1335

[Kerry based aircraft...]

[LPFR]

How's Faro and Alicante doing?

[ericlday]

.....warm and sunny

[1sky]

How's Faro and Alicante doing?

Can't be doing too badly:
- ALC is getting a third weekly flight (Monday) for the last two weeks of June and the whole of September.
- FAO is getting a third flight (also Monday) throughout July and August.

There are some press reports about Ryanair hinting at a third sun route but I suspect this might have been confused with what was then the pending NRN announcement.

[1sky]

Did a Kerry Hahn return. Over 140 passengers both ways.

On the other hand, counted just 20 (!) come off the first morning flight from Dublin.

[Topcover]

Bad news for Kerry from Ryanair this morning, from the Ryanair website;

Ryanair to Cut Kerry-Dublin Flights From 3 to 1 Daily

AS MINISTER REFUSES TO PAY FOR GOVT IMPOSED COST INCREASES

RYANAIR WILL NO LONGER APPLY FOR ANY PSO SUBSIDY ON ROUTE

Ryanair, Ireland’s largest airline, today (23rd Sept) announced that it will cut its daily Kerry – Dublin schedule from three to one return flight, from 31st Oct 2010, after the Minister for Transport refused to honour his obligations under the Kerry PSO contract to increase payments to reflect the huge Govt imposed cost increases including the €4 tourist tax, the 40% rise in DAA airport fees and higher ATC charges which have added an additional cost of €19 per passenger on this domestic route.

Ryanair, which already pays ‘out of hours costs’ of €76 per passenger to Kerry Airport (for the early morning departure and the late evening arrival) will now operate the Kerry-Dublin route on a commercial basis without any PSO subsidy whatsoever from 31st Oct thereby saving the taxpayer almost €2m annually.

Under the Kerry PSO contract the Minister for Transport is required to increase payments for any cost increases which “were not, or could not have been, anticipated by Ryanair or are due to factors outside of Ryanair’s control.” Since the Minister for Transport has refused to honour this contract, Ryanair will now operate the Dublin-Kerry route on a daily basis, but with no subsides whatsoever, and by cancelling the early morning and late evening flights Kerry Airport can save these excessive ‘out of hours’ costs which currently exceed €8,000 per day.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said,

“The Minister for Transport has refused to honour the PSO contract which requires him to increase payments to reflect the Govt tourist tax and the Govt imposed increase in DAA and ATC charges which have added an extra €19 per passenger on the Kerry-Dublin route. Ryanair will now operate this route on a commercial basis without any PSO subsidy thereby saving the taxpayer almost €2 million p.a. Ryanair again calls for an ending to these PSO subsidies under which tiny passenger numbers receive enormous taxpayer subsidies to fund vastly inflated charges at Irish regional airports.

Ryanair will, from 31st October, switch its Kerry based aircraft to another EU base where Govts are reducing airport fees and welcoming tourists instead of taxing them. Ryanair will, from 31st October, continue to operate four routes from Kerry to Dublin, Frankfurt Hahn, London Luton and London Stansted.”

[airnoc]

Kerry should call ryanair bluff and seek another airline to do daily flights from kerry to dublin. You have aer arran, mans and aer lingus.

[Callsign Kilo]

So the FR base at KIR closes on the 31st Oct? Is that correct?

[ryan2000]

Problem with calling their bluff is that a new carrier will have to compete with them on a relatively thin route. No easy task. The other problem is that domestic routes have become very unattractive due to the many regulations introduced by airlines and airports in recent years. i.e. Passports on domestic flights, compulsary online check in, baggage charges. Pre printed boarding cards. Far less stressful to take the train say many people.

[KY_flyer]

Increase in 2013 passenger numbers??

Hey all,
I'm new to this forum.. but have a strong interest in KIR aviation... I've noticed that over the last 2 years the KIR passenger numbers have dropped but I am hopeful that these will increase this year, thanks to FR increasing the STN freq from 4 X weekly to daily for winter '12/'13, and the FAO route being 3X weekly for June and July, as well as Air Nostrum operating a CRJ1000 on a weekly basis to PMI..
I have also noticed that on one of the KIR social media A/C's they have mentioned that they are persuing a BHX route... what airlines would be interested in this BE? or EIR? MAN has proven itself as a route, the last time it operated in summer 2011 with RE the freq was increased from 4X per week to 6X per week on and ATR42, so i think this route would still be viable if only on a seasonal basis.
Also does anybody know the progress of the works that are being undertaken on the runway in KIR..

[Kinocker]

Kerry is an airport that seems to get little enough mention in the media compared to the other Irish airports. Do you have details of accurate passenger numbers from the last few years?

I suspect Aer Lingus Regional would be the airline to take up a Birmingham route, although you could not rule out flybe given their recent expansions in Ireland, including the Waterford to Birmingham route.

Also, I wonder what the level of take up is in terms of using the Dublin service to connect onto US bound Aer Lingus flights. It seems like a very handy connection to have, but I wonder do people in the area just have a preference to drive to Shannon and fly direct from there instead?

[KY_flyer]

I cant find any official passenger numbers but from the CSO website I worked out that in 2010: 315k passengers, 2011: 270k passengers, and 2012: 250k passengers, none of these figures include the domestic flight to Dublin which I cant get figures for...

Any flights Ive taken on the KIR - DUB route always had a load factor between 70% and 95%, and ive heard from others that the flights they took the loads were strong as well, there always seems to be connecting passengers on any flights ive taken. flew BOS-DUB-KIR last summer and the DUB-KIR sector was full of connections from USA, there was loads of baggage..

Looking at the passenger numbers above there has been a big decline considering that in 08 or 09 there were over 400k passengers... but im still very hopeful that this year passenger numbers will go up...

I'd be surprised to see Aer Lingus Regional operate the route as they fly to Birmingham from both Shannon and Cork... I think it would have to be another carrier i.e. flybe to operate any UK routes... Ive always wondered why there aren't more routes to the UK from KIR.. i would have thought that the airport could support at least MAN, BHX and either EDI/GLA 3 or 4 times a week on an ATR or a Dash 8, especially in the summer..

[onyxcrowle]

Do Ryr still do this route and to where. What about from Manchester.
Im looking to vist but as neith lba.dsa or huy go I am faced with a two hour drive. Or train trip.
Akso does kerry airport have car rentals there?

[ericlday]

Onyxcrowle

How about looking at Ryanair website and also Kerry Airport, you may just find answers to your questions.