The Government is to review Ireland’s regional airports in terms of their post-Covid recovery, and the effectiveness of recent State funding into them.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Hildegarde Naughton confirmed she has asked her department to commence a mid-term review of the Regional Airports Programme.
The programme was set up to run from 2021 to 2025, with its main aim to provide State funding to the country’s smallest airports – namely those airports which handle less than 1 million passengers a year, but also provide connectivity services.
Funding is targeted at ensuring that the airports can maintain compliance in the areas of safety and security. Funding also supports projects with a sustainability focus. Also supported under the Programme are Public Service Obligation (PSO) air services between Donegal and Dublin.
Minister Naughton said: “Government recognises the important role that our regional airports play in supporting regional connectivity and as access points for both tourism and business. The mid-term review will consider how the Programme is currently delivering on its objectives, primarily in the context of supporting balanced regional development. It will also explore how international connectivity and services, to and from the regions can be maintained and enhanced.”
In preparation for the opening of a Public Consultation to inform this mid-term review, Minister Naughton said she would welcome views from interested parties on the range of issues that might be addressed in an Issues Paper in relation to, for example, how we can boost traffic to and utilise better our regional airports.
Such issues can then be considered for inclusion in the Issues Paper, which will be published as part of the Public Consultation process.
The Government provided €116m in pandemic relief for Irish airports in answer to the Covid crisis.
“This funding has compensated our small regional airports at Donegal, Ireland West and Kerry for the damage caused to them by Covid as well as having provided our State airports at Dublin, Shannon and Cork with the flexibility to roll out route incentives/charge rebates, in consultation with airlines,” the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport said.
Welcoming the recovery and growth of connectivity, Minister Naughton said: “I am delighted to see the positive impacts of Government support witnessed across all of our airports and in particular our regional airports. Shannon Airport’s Summer 2022 schedule offered 27 destinations to the UK, Europe and the US and the winter 2022 schedule offers 23 destinations with daily flights to the US. A new twice-weekly service to Paris Orly began operating during September and will continue for Winter 2022/23. Ryanair also commenced two new routes to Béziers and Newcastle.
“2022 saw an extremely busy summer period for Cork Airport also, leading into their biggest ever winter schedule, which features over 1.1 million seats across 27 routes, served by 5 airlines. Included are two new routes with twice-weekly services to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Newcastle, alongside several summer routes which have been extended into the winter including twice-weekly services to Valencia, Milan, Venice and Faro. All 7 routes, which operated from Kerry Airport pre COVID, have returned. So too has the pre-pandemic route network of air services from Ireland West Airport Knock, with the airport offering a winter schedule of 84 weekly flights to and from a host of cities in the UK and Europe. “
Regarding connectivity from Donegal and the north-west of the country, Minister Naughton added: “With regard to connectivity to the north-west region, although Donegal Airport has yet to restore air services to Glasgow, which were lost as a result of the pandemic, an extensive procurement process by my Department, saw a new Public Service Obligation air services contract being awarded this year, providing services between Donegal and Dublin. These twice daily two-way air services, facilitating same day return trips from Donegal, and further onward international connectivity from Dublin airport, marks Government’s commitment to ensuring continued connectivity to this region for the next three years.”
Initial views are welcomed by December 31 2022, by emailing the Department of Transport at [email protected]
