Cork Airport is expected to be the first State-owned airport to fully recover to pre-pandemic passenger numbers.
The Daa – which operates both Cork and Dublin airports – has said that Cork Airport has upwardly revised its passenger projections for the current year.
It now expects to service 2.1 million passengers, during 2022, rather than 1.8 million people as previously estimated.
The improved outlook is based on the return of strong demand for international travel and a number of recent route announcements by Ryanair.
This year, Cork Airport will serve 42 routes across the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia and Poland, the Daa said.
In a post on LinkedIn, the Daa said it is anticipated that Cork Airport will be the first state airport to make a full recovery to pre-pandemic passenger traffic and that it is “poised to restore its title as Ireland’s fastest growing airport.”
“Cork Airport remains a valued member of daa Group. daa is committed to ensuring that Cork Airport remains a key infrastructural and economic asset to Cork, Munster and the South of Ireland,” the post said.
“Daa fully supports Cork Airport as the Gateway to the South of Ireland in working to enhance international connectivity,” it added.
Earlier this year, work commenced on the construction of a new electrical substation at Cork Airport, which will replace the existing, end-of-life substation constructed in 1961. This new facility, the Daa said, will include capacity for future expansion and will add safety resilience features to protect the airfield lighting infrastructure.
By the end of 2022, Daa will have invested €40m in three major capital infrastructure projects at Cork Airport.
In 2018, €12m was invested in a new hold-baggage screening system, built to the highest of modern security and safety specifications. In 2021, the main jet-capable runway at Cork Airport underwent a full reconstruction and rehabilitation.
