Irish Regional Airports

[EI-BUD]

Hello everyone & hope that you all had a nice Christmas. :)

I thought that the Irish regional airports get little attention on here & is a topic that I have interest in. So perhaps we can get some discussion going on same. In 2007/6? I understood that the regional airports got a good injection of capital funds from government/EU. I am interested to know what was this used for. Sligo was talking about extending the runway, as was Galway, Waterford. Did any of this happen?

Waterford: Seems that they are experiencing good growth. And the summer operation to Europe did well?

Kerry: A bit of a dampner on things in that the Ryanair route to Liverpool was axed ? But a new London route. How does the Dublin route do. I know its a PSO route but could Ryanair join Aer Arann on the route if it chose?

Galway: It would seem from the website that many of the new routes are gone. To what extent is Shannon effecting the services? Or is this a real issue?

Knock: Given the success( according to the media) of the US routes with FLyglobespan, does anyone forsee that Aer Lingus in any guise would serve this market? I know they have committed there fleets, but some years ago they chartered a DC10(world airways) to do work on the atlantic. Do you forsee that this will happen again? How is XL doing on the knock Gatwick route, I cant see there being alot of room for them over the lean winter period. Or whats the word on the street?

Sligo: how is the Manchester route doing and how does the Dublin route do? It is a wonder that Aer Arann doesnt look at a daily Luton rotation?

Donegal: With only a DUblin and a Prestwick route, how are the figures? And I heard of a weekly flight with VLM next summer, cant remember where to? Maybe Rotterdam, or Amsterdam. I can remember when Ryanair did an ATR to Luton and Loganair did a Shorts 360 to Glasgow. Seems like yesterday! I was only a lad!

If anyone has any news/information or update on any of the above would be glad to hear.If there is anyone on here from Aer Arann who knows the domestic routes I would also be glad to hear!

[Captain Planet]

Hello EI-BUD,

I do hope you had a good Christmas and have a pleasant New Year.

You are correct! Waterford has seen significant growth in the last 4 years but even more so in the year just gone. The Waterford-Luton service was Arann's highest pax cross channel service this year and this figure was recorded in August with over 9,000 pax tavelling on the route in the month of August.

Waterford received capital expenditure of 27.5 million early this year in which 5 million would have to be raised by the airport itself. Work has already begun on the ramp area where phase one of the main ramp extension has been completed. Other key elements include the extending and widening of the runway from its current 1433m x 30m to in or around 1850m x 45m. The exact measurements haven't been specified yet but you get the idea.

Waterford recently took delivery of 2 Rosenbauer Panther fire fighting appliances. One in February '07 and another in December '07

There are also plans to extend the fire station and relocate the fuel farm with new tanks and a bigger capacity.

A new terminal building will also be built on the site of the current terminal building and this new building will be approx 3 times the sizeof the current building.

Various other items such as new bowsers,operations vehicles,service vehicles will be purchased and improvements will be made on ancillary services and also ATC items such as DME,ILS etc etc but what I have just written is where the bulk of the mulla is going.


As for new routes,let me just say that they will be plentiful. Arann are hoping to base another ATR 72 in WAT in April and a new comer to jets also to operate out of WAT from May will make Waterford Airport an interesting place this summer proving that it is most definitely a pleasing alternative to EICK and EIDW.


Happy new year,

CP.:ok:

[Evileyes]

Please post in the threads already in existence and dedicated to the airport or airline of your interest. If, as in the case of Donegal, it doesn't have a dedicated thread, feel free to start one.


Thanks,
The Mods