The passenger experience at Cork Airport is set to become a whole lot easier this summer thanks to the introduction of additional technical equipment upgrades in the airport terminal building and across the airport campus.
Cork Airport is known for its easy, friendly, convenient and hassle-free experience, winning the title of Europe’s Best Regional Airport in 2025 with consistently high satisfaction rating thorough independent market research conducted by RED C.
Over the past number of months, significant investment was dedicated towards improving that experience even further with the overhaul and upgrade of the airport’s Wi-Fi hardware; the introduction of a new car park booking system with automatic number plate recognition technology; the installation of new self-service bag-drop kiosks for Aer Lingus customers and the installation of a new airbridge.
Airport Wi-Fi upgrades
Cork Airport has invested in new Wi-Fi hardware across the entire airport terminal building, installing 170% more access points, providing passengers with higher internet speeds (up to 200Mbs faster). In recognising that internet usage trends have changed massively in recent years, the airport has tripled the number of access points across the terminal, delivering an improved Wi-Fi service for all passengers. The introduction of the new technology means it is now easier for passengers to keep in touch with family and friends online; stream their favourite music, movies and television shows; to connect with work colleagues and work efficiently on laptops, tablets or phones. The new hardware also has been built with sufficient bandwidth to allow for increased usage of Wi-Fi at busier periods throughout the year (i.e. summer season).
New car park booking engine and automated number plate recognition technology
Last month, Cork Airport moved to a new car park booking solution which will make it even easier to prebook car parking ahead of a busy summer season. Through the introduction of a new booking platform, customers can make car park bookings in just a few clicks. Together with the new software, new hardware at car park entry points has been upgraded to introduce automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR), which again makes it quicker for customers to access any of the three car parks on the airport campus. Customers no longer need to present their credit card on entry to the car parks as the vehicle’s number plate will be automatically read, permitting swifter access. Additionally, a QR code can be presented at any of the car park entry points, and this can be found on customer’s booking confirmation emails.
New Airware bag drop kiosks for Aer Lingus customers
Cork Airport, in conjunction with Aer Lingus, has installed a series of new self-service, express bag check-in kiosks aimed at shortening check-in queue times and to enhance the overall bag-drop experience. The new kiosks, which are located at the Aer Lingus check-in area on the ground floor of the terminal building allow passengers to check-in their bags in a matter of minutes and is a significant improvement on previous technologies. In a few simple steps, passengers can weigh, tag and check-in their bags – all by using the Aer Lingus app on their mobile phone. Aer Lingus customer service agents are on hand to assist passengers with the new technology, should they require it.
Installation of third airbridge
Cork Airport has taken delivery of a third airbridge, which will provide even easier and convenient access for passengers when boarding or disembarking an aircraft. Representing an investment of €1.4 million, the new airbridge will be located at Gate 6 and will become operational over the coming weeks, in plenty of time for the summer season which starts next month. The new airbridge was constructed by TKE and was transported from Spain to Cork a fortnight ago.
Commenting on the various technological and infrastructural improvements, Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport said: “Cork Airport was awarded the Best Regional Airport in Europe in 2025 by our industry body, ACI Europe. Offering the best passenger experience is never a completed task. We need to keep on improving, innovating and changing so more and more passengers choose the convenience and friendliness of Cork Airport. These initiatives one by one may seem small but are part of a continuous improvement programme where we always aim for better.”
Darran Dineen, General Manager – Operations, Safety, Facilities and IT at Cork Airport added: “We launched our capital investment programme last May and already, we have completed two projects – an oversized baggage screening facility rebuild and the reconstruction of our staff/goods and vehicles security screening area. Our large mezzanine floor construction is on-time and on-budget for delivery in December of this year and we will be launching two more significant construction projects next month. Everything is geared towards the strategic growth of Cork Airport and an even passenger experience.”
