Robbing from Peter to pay Paul does not disqualify entitlement to the Route support scheme.
But the scheme officially only supports routes with a frequency of at least 3 weekly flights. I suppose they'll still get support...
Just like Wizz are probably being supported on their twice weekly Warsaw route, and rightly so!

EI
 

Scheme does allow support for twice weekly services providing they're not replacing dropped services.

Indeed, I stand corrected, a route must now at least be 2 x weekly to be able to qualify.

http://www.corkairport.com/business/ORKRSS2008.pdf

Selective reading guys, the same pdf says it must be year round to get the dosh.

It will be interesting to see if this impacts RE usual summer plans for Nantes, Lorient, Larochelle and Brest. Adding a few Airbuses into the mix suggests gross overcapacity in the market to France.

The new airport chairman will be Gerry Walsh, former chairman of Bord Gais.

On the plus side, he's a very experienced businessman.

On the minus, he has no aviation experience and was appointed by Noel Dempsey.

Still at least there's a chairman in place now.

The other board appointees are Dick Lehane, a former chief executive of EMC and Annette McNamara, a former primary school teacher and former Fianna Fail councillor. Unfortunately, the latter smacks of the type of cronyism we don't need to see.

Agree completely. If you were to look for a bright side, hopefully as a political animal she may be able to help the board to navigate the political landscape as they try to get fuill separation.

Contratulations for appointing a lady of Annette's drive and passion for Cork and its people.

Remember the political arena is open to all citizens - try it out, get involved, then maybe your opinions may 'smack' of realism!

Meritocracy at its best!

Looks like there may be plenty more breaking of wind and gas from the CAA in the time ahead? You know something, it is a credit to Cork Airport that it does as well as it has been doing - the place gets ahead on the whole in spite of itself and all the obstacles it comes up against in the shape of the DAA, snn, Euro 10 taxes etc, etc.

Jet2 are taking over the weekned Budget Travel flights to the Canaries from this weekend with a 757 positioning in from LBA on Friday night. Nice to have a sort of resident 757 at Cork for the remainder of the winter. As nice as the Flightline Mad Dogs are you need aeroplanes with at least CATII for winter operations at Cork and that are perhaps just a little less likely to go tech. I hear that a Mad Dog bound for snn and Cork had an extended stay in ACE last weekend. The story even made news on the Neil Prendeville Show on 96FM.

Jet2 should try and sell a few tickets on the positioning in 757 from Leeds and sell the outbound again late on Sunday night. Why not. Put one more (737) rotation in during the week and viola there you have a Leeds-Cork flight restored!

Why not!?

"Contratulations for appointing a lady of Annette's drive and passion for Cork and its people."

I would be a lot more comfortable if they had appointed a sitting councillor.

Unfortunately, this screams more of smoothing internal Fianna Fail divisions.

I understand that in the Blarney LEA the candidate who stood for the PDs in the last election has been drafted in to stand for Fianna Fail. Is this a little gift to buy off someone who may have hoped to be selected to stand herself.

CAA board
 

Composition of the board is not the issue. It's now almost 5 1/2 years since the break up was signaled. Obviously major difficulties have arisen and successive ministers are either unable or unwilling to make decisions.

Speculation in some quarters is that the plan will be quietly dropped which will come as a relief to some of the employees in Cork and Shannon.

Cork Flight Monitors
 

Can some one tell Management at Cork that LTE has ceased operations. Their flights continue to appear on the Aertel Page and other flight information pages although Jet 2 and Thompsonfly are now operating them under thier own flight numbers.

It's causing confusion among meeters and greeters.

LTE has resumed limited charter operations on 27th Oct.

Not operating the Cork flights this winter as envisaged earlier.

Jesus wept, the guy who ran the Gas Monopoly and a former primary school head mistress - this reinforces the reasons why I left Cork and remain away from her shores.

CAA Marketing
 

See the marketing people at CAA have put the airport on the www.anna.aero routeshop website.

The stats attached to the post are interesting:

A City Population - 500,000
A City Region - 1.1 million
Catchment Area - reaches to Southern Galway

Whatever it takes to get routes I suppose

Interesting that they are offering the residual of the route support scheme to four routes recently abandoned - Budapest; East Midlands, Krakow and Wroclaw

Firstly, you might enlighten us how Ms McNamara is in any way suitable for this position ?

Please list

• any relevant experience of running a business (especially one with a debt of €120m +),
• knowledge of the airport business
• and skills in dealing with Adults on a day to day basis.

We do acknowledge that she appears to have dealt with 5 year olds so that is an obvious advantage when dealing with Noel Dempsey !!!

We badly need evidence that this is not just another FF crackpot appointee who knows nothing, who has done nothing and will toe the party line. Bertie Ahern will never be gone while this nonsense continues...

EDIT : p.s. Flights to Santa Ponza do not qualify as experience !!!

Cork Board
 

The reality is that the timing of the break up of the DAA is a political decision and is out of the hands of the so called board.

Presumably, the CAA crowd up at Cork all want to remain a part of the Mother Ship in Dublin, the DAA. They think probably their jobs are safer by staying a part of the DAA? Well, the way the Irish economy is going the State will have to sooner or later trim the sails of all the public service and that may well see some lay offs in such a self glorified company as the DAA and it's servants down in the lesser provinces in Cork and snn? Increasing car park charges and the like whilst losing core business in air passenger traffic from lost routes like BTS, EMA, PRG, BUD is hardly going to save a few jobs be the jobs public or private.

The question is can Cork people have any faith and trust in the management and board of the airport? Whether it remains a public state company or not is kind of irrelevant in some ways to my mind. For example, I have an idea about one or two routes that I feel would have a fair chance from Cork even in these more difficult times but do you know what, I am hesitant about contacting anyone at Cork Airport because even at a quite a lowly provisional level, I am not happy the matter would be handled well. So, what do I do? Approach snn!? Hardly, but would they run rings around the Cork crowd? Hmmm.

It is frustrating.

The Czech PM paid a brief visit to Cork yesterday. He must have been summoned to the Real Capital to get an earful from Cork's own Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Mairtin, for talking out too loudly on the night before in Dublin that the Lisbon Treaty is a whole load of ol' cobblers and doesn't do much for democracy and freedom! Good man, Czech PM!

Anyway, he arrived mid morning aboard a Czech Air Force Airbus A319. She parked nose in at Stand 16 and there was a big taxpayer provided Mercedes motorcade on hand to carry Mr Controversial & his flunkeys off on a spin down the airport hill to De City Hall. You should have seen the size of the two tricolours and the two Czech flags atop De City Hall. They were huge! Put the four of dem together and you have not only a runway extension above at Cork but an extra widebody stand as well.

Mr Controversial was carted back up to Cork around 2 pm and, jeez, you should have seen the ramp and the length of the red carpet stretching away from the A319. Another new stand's worth! Threre was an army guard of honour both sides of the carpet and it was gas to watch them practise away before hand with the head army boyo roaring out the orders os a comhar amach as Gaeilge! Mr Controversial's motorcade went airside by the cargo area so he passed along a line of spotters waiting to take some photo shots of his aeroplane. Mind you it seemed the spotters were far more interested in the position of where the sun was rather than your man because it hardly looked like the best spot for photos. Between the army guard of honour and all the other hangers on like Merc drivers, gardai, military police, airport police, aircraft handlers and many other airport rubber neckers it would not be a surprise if there was between 200 to 300 people on duty for the ceremony and at least 95% of those there were being paid for by the taxpayer! What a country!

After the shaking of hands etc and boarding of the Airbus Mr Controversial & his entourage were soon aboard and push back followed quickly for a 35 departure and this at last afforded the on duty spotters the best opportunity for some photos. Sighs of relief heard all around!

Interesting sort of spectacle to see at Cork - one you dont see too often. With so much army in attendance it was just a pity not to have their military band playing for de city's guest of honour.

Wouldn't it be great if CSA could somehow be coaxed back to Cork at even twice weekly - with determination it could just be done - all it takes is some passion.

Cork - A City Population - 500,000 - quote

Why is Cork made out to a mega city the size of Leeds or somewhere, its a small city with a population of 190,000 the whole greater Cork area is under 400,000. Cork airport has often been compared to have a catchment the size of Belfast. Well how come Cork airport transports 3.2 million passengers yet Belfast airports between them carry around 7.9 million.