Cork Airport has confirmed that it will close for up to 10 weeks between September and November for a major resurfacing of its main runway as well as works on its baggage screening system.
The airport has opted to do the work in one fell swoop rather than piecemeal over a longer period. In a statement released earlier, it said: “We have consulted more than dozen other international airports in the UK and continental Europe which have completed similar runway projects in recent years. Airports adopt a range of technical solutions and working windows, but the aim is always the same – to complete the project as quickly and efficiently as possible, using the optimum technical solution, at the lowest cost.”
“Cork Airport has been talking to airlines, including Ryanair, in relation to the types of incentive schemes we will offer to enable us to work together to build back our respective businesses.”
As we reported earlier this month, Ryanair responded to the planned works by announcing that it would keep its Cork base closed until winter 2021 “at the earliest.”
Cork Airport’s head of communications, Kevin Cullinane, told ITTN today that “we are in ongoing commercial negotiations with all of our airline customers on how to plan for a recovery for our business when it is safe to recommence international travel again later in 2021” and that “a generous discount framework [will be] available to all airlines operating from Cork Airport post pandemic to incentivise airline traffic recovery.” The airport also said that the planned works would not impact on Aer Corps and Garda air support units who use the airport for rescue missions.
