Junior Transport Minister James Lawless, has announced funding allocations totalling over €4.2m to support Shannon and Cork Regional State airports in 2024.
His announcement came as he met with Mary Considine, Chief Executive of Shannon Airport Group, as part of his ministerial responsibility for aviation.
This, Minister said, was a productive meeting which included discussion of the pressing issue of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
Ms Considine informed the Minister that Shannon Airport, which currently handles just over 2 million passengers per year, stands ready to accept up to 5 million.
Ms Considine also noted that Shannon Airport could facilitate up to 10 million passengers with an upgrade to the current Terminal. This would allow Shannon Airport to meet the needs of business and tourism in the region.
The funding for Shannon and Cork airports is being allocated under the new Regional State Airports Sustainability Programme, which was announced by the Minister in July as part of the high-level outcomes under the mid-term review of the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025.
This new programme was developed to mirror the sustainability objective under the Regional Airports Programme, to support Regional State airports to reach their carbon reduction targets and build resilience against climate change.
The Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025 supports Ireland’s smallest airports, those that provide scheduled passenger services and handle fewer than one million passengers per annum.
By virtue of their size and passenger numbers neither Cork nor Shannon Regional State airports are eligible under the Programme, although both temporarily became eligible in recent years due to the impact of COVID-19 related travel restrictions on passenger numbers.
The €4.2m funding has been allocated as follows:
| Airport | Grant Allocation |
| Shannon | €1.935m |
| Cork | €2.284m |
| Total | €4.219m |
Minister Lawless said: “I am pleased to announce these funding allocations, which will contribute towards capital investment in Solar PV Farms at both Shannon and Cork airports. These projects, the first of their kind to be funded at our regional airports, when complete will provide up to 25% of these airports’ current electrical demand from renewable energy. The arrays will also enable future expansion, allowing airports to decrease reliance on energy from the national grid over time by increasing capacity for on-site generation.”
“A water system upgrade project is also being supported at Shannon Airport. In addition, the replacement of diesel-powered ground power units with electric models at Cork Airport are being supported.”
The Minister added: “This level of targeted support is an indication of the importance Government attaches to both Shannon and Cork Regional State airports being well positioned to meet their carbon reduction emissions targets as they move towards net zero.
“Ireland has established good connectivity with the UK, Europe and America through our regional airports. These Exchequer funding allocations announced today for Shannon and Cork Regional State airports, as well as funding provided to all regional airports to date, has enabled this connectivity and strong growth in our regions.
“Evidence shows that there is demand from Irish people to travel from our regional airports, and for tourists to arrive directly into the regions, when these services are provided. I was pleased to see passenger numbers were up 9% across our regional airports last year and 8% to date this year. Cork Airport alone is up 11%, with Shannon Airport up 7%. I expect this connectivity to be enhanced further this Winter, following the welcomed announcements by airlines recently of new routes and increased frequencies from Cork, Shannon and Ireland West Airport.”
