Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton T.D., today announced the provision of over €21 million in direct Exchequer supports to the airports of Shannon, Cork, Ireland West (Knock), Kerry and Donegal.
This funding is being administered under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025, which provides targeted support for vital safety and security operations at the airports such as air traffic control, fire services and security, ensuring airports can continue to remain compliant with regulatory requirements in these areas.
The funding that is the subject of today’s announcement is set out as follows:
| Airport | 2022 Operational Allocation |
| Donegal | €638,409 |
| Ireland West | €1,787,797 |
| Kerry | €1,434,355 |
| Shannon | €6,836,610 |
| Cork | €10,402,880 |
| Total Allocations | €21,100,051 |
Announcing these allocations, Minister of State Naughton said: ”I am delighted to be announcing operational allocations of over €21 million today to Shannon, Cork, Donegal, Ireland West Airport Knock and Kerry airports under the Regional Airports Programme. It is anticipated that this level of funding, which is 41% higher than last year’s operational funding allocation, will meet 100% of all eligible salary costs in the areas of safety, security and air traffic control at these airports in 2022.”
Ireland’s aviation industry has recovered well following the lifting of travel restrictions in March 2022. Funding this year to airports will total over €37 million, which has helped to support strong recovery and growth of passenger traffic through Irish airports. This funding builds on the €161 million provided in unprecedented aviation support during 2021.
Commenting on this growth in connectivity, Minister Naughton said: ”Exchequer funding provided during the COVID crisis and to date in 2022 has enabled the strong recovery of traffic through our airports and in particular our regional airports. This is evidenced by Kerry, Ireland West Airport Knock, Cork and Shannon airports each currently outperforming Dublin Airport in terms of a faster recovery towards the pre-Covid passenger numbers achieved in 2019. As we look forward to a strong 2023, these regional airports are currently forecasting a return of passenger numbers above 2019 levels.”
