Galway Airport - mega merge

gordongekko

Yeah that's how the likes of boeing do business. They ring up the local independent Councillor and offer to lease an airport for a few months for hundreds of thousands of euro. Sounds legit to me.

serfboard

Deleted User wrote: »

there would have to be commitments from the company rather than comments from a county councillor looking for column inches the the local paper.

And not just any councillor - step forward James "Irexit" Charity, a man who shared a platform with Nigel Farage, which should tell you all you need to know about him.

Even before his Irexit musings, I've always thought that Charity was a gobshíte, and I tend to believe the exact opposite of anything he says.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Galway has 2 international airports within 1 hr north and south. There is simply no viable and marketable reason to reopen

Nobody in Galway cares about the airport, thats why it was so easy to close it. Anyone see a single protest in favour of keeping it open? There was a bigger uproar recently with the proposal to remove some bus stops

What does uproar have to do with anything? Should we close everything that causes it & keep open everything that uproar would demand? Not everything is vote-grabbing politics. If it doesn’t make sense in numbers, then it’s off. If it does make sense, then power on.

But I get you’re activist in advocating keeping it closed, at least here, looking for & hammering home arguments to support your conclusion. I’m more pragmatic that if it makes sense to run services, let them run. If not, then not.

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] wrote: »

But I get you’re activist in advocating keeping it closed, at least here, looking for & hammering home arguments to support your conclusion. I’m more pragmatic that if it makes sense to run services, let them run. If not, then not.

First off, this is a thread about the airport.

Second, if there is some news, article or details about the airport, I'm going to post it here as its relevant to the topic.

Third, I'm going to comment on whatever outside source I'm posting. This is basically how boards works. Not my fault if most of the news is coming from airy-fairy points of view open to ridicule.

Galway already has an utterly pointless money pit in the current Western Rail Corridor where it would be cheaper to get taxis for all its users than keep the line running. Does it really need 2?

Obviously if it made sense to open the airport then I would support it, but it doesn't, by any single or combination of, measures.

As for "looking for & hammering home arguments to support your conclusion", well yes, there's just so many of them it's too difficult to choose from so many logical reasons, all based on fact, so I put them all forward.

If you have any logical arguments to the contrary then by all means, put them forward. Note "thems in Waterford n Kerry has one so we deserve one too" is not a logical reason.

Otherwise, the reopening of the airport will remain a target for skepticism, challenge and basic mockery as far as I'm concerned

serfboard

Deleted User wrote: »

I’m more pragmatic that if it makes sense to run services, let them run. If not, then not.

It doesn't make sense to run services - even before the motorways were built the case was questionable to say the least. Since the motorways were built it makes no sense at all, particularly with Knock and Shannon already in the Western Region and with Dublin less than a two-hour drive away from anywhere east of Oranmore.

If you are as pragmatic as you say you are then does it make sense to you to run services? Because any logical analysis will tell you that it doesn't - and hence the resulting frustration with people who continually resurrect the Zombie idea of re-opening the airport.

Laviski

schedule flights - totatally agree and no need for it to return.
yet no one thinks there is a busines case to use for GA.... Everyone keeps knocking the airport to reopen, but it has a use for GA and the corporate fliers with money to burn.

JohnFalstaff

Aren't there plans to transform the airport site into a Film/TV studio?

There were a few articles recently that referenced the local authorities seeking tenders from companies interested in taking it over:

https://connachttribune.ie/plans-progressing-film-studios-galway-airport-033/

I saw this on youtube last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdU1WTBJMl0

It's about how airports make money, and it basically spells out the reason why Galway Airport will most likely never become properly active again.

The jist of it being, that privately owned airports need long haul flights to be profitable - not going to be realistic for Galway
All other airports are usually owned by governments, and run at a loss, in order to drum up tourism. I can't see why the government would take on the extra loss in Galway when Shannon and Knock exist so close by, and Dublin is a 3hr bus journey away

It's a quite interesting video by the way

Storm 10

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I saw this on youtube last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdU1WTBJMl0

It's about how airports make money, and it basically spells out the reason why Galway Airport will most likely never become properly active again.
The jist of it being, that privately owned airports need long haul flights to be profitable - not going to be realistic for Galway
All other airports are usually owned by governments, and run at a loss, in order to drum up tourism. I can't see why the government would take on the extra loss in Galway when Shannon and Knock exist so close by, and Dublin is a 3hr bus journey away

It's a quite interesting video by the way

Weston Airport in Dublin is privately owned and is doing great with private and corporate aircraft and they also do maintenance, Abbeyshrule is privately owned in a tiny town in the Midlands and does the same thing that's all Galway needs to do to get up and running again.

serfboard

Storm 10 wrote: »

Weston Airport in Dublin is privately owned and is doing great with private and corporate aircraft and they also do maintenance, Abbeyshrule is privately owned in a tiny town in the Midlands and does the same thing that's all Galway needs to do to get up and running again.

The difference is that Galway Airport is publically owned, having being bought in November 2013 by Galway City and County Councils for 1.1 million.

The Councils bought 115 acres for 1.1 million which amounts to about 9.6K per acre, standard price, AFAIK, for agricultural land.

I've seen a report that indicates that the Councils are paying between 50 and 80 thousand per year to provide security on the site (again, AFAIR, that's in line with what TII was paying to secure an empty petrol station on the M11).

Simple solution? Re-zone the area as residential and stick a for sale sign on it. I'd say 115 acres zoned residential 8K from the city centre and 3K from Ballybrit/Parkmore would fetch a good price.

serfboard

serfboard wrote: »

Simple solution? Re-zone the area as residential and stick a for sale sign on it. I'd say 115 acres zoned residential 8K from the city centre and 3K from Ballybrit/Parkmore would fetch a good price.

Ardaun

Johnny901

Storm 10 wrote: »

Weston Airport in Dublin is privately owned and is doing great

I think to make that statement you would need to see the financials, it is difficult to make money at the level Weston is at. Weston is busy with GA and some commercial exe jets etc but that does mean they are making money. But also has to have all the personnel to make that happen. Its proximity to Dublin means they have a big population to make the training school there work and it is well established as a training center sinve the 1930s. But you might find they are just breaking even.

what_traffic

serfboard wrote: »

The difference is that Galway Airport is publically owned, having being bought in November 2013 by Galway City and County Councils for 1.1 million.

The Councils bought 115 acres for 1.1 million which amounts to about 9.6K per acre, standard price, AFAIK, for agricultural land.

Galway Chamber were only delighted that they off-loaded it to the Council for that amount.

serfboard

what_traffic wrote: »

Galway Chamber were only delighted that they off-loaded it to the Council for that amount.

Agreed. One could say that the council effectively bailed out the Chamber of Commerce, which they should not have done, IMO. This is made worse by (I presume ) the council having to pay annual security costs for the facility.

However, in the long term it might turn out to be a good investment. As another poster said this area is in the "Arduan corridor" which is scheduled for development, so the council could be sitting on a valuable piece of property.

With the housing problem in Ireland being as chronic as it is, the sooner this is re-zoned and developed the better.

cena

flights to states and Canada a few times a week would be great to have in Galway

ben.schlomo

cena wrote: »

flights to states and Canada a few times a week would be great to have in Galway

Flights to Mars too, and Saturn while we're at it!!

westgolf

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Flights to Mars too, and Saturn while we're at it!!

If the traffic gets any worse flights to Knocknacarra and barna !!

WillieMason

Hearing a lot of talk that the airport site is going to be used for housing anyone else hear this??

marno21

WillieMason wrote: »

Hearing a lot of talk that the airport site is going to be used for housing anyone else hear this??

There are surely sites closer to the city with much better transport links than the airport site?

WillieMason

It is a large site i heard Nama are involved

WillieMason

WillieMason wrote: »

It is a large site i heard Nama are involved

The airport site was bought by the city and county councils so is in public ownership, not NAMA.

WillieMason

Ya they got its at a good price around 1 million but they might be looking at Nama from a funding point of view.

WillieMason

WillieMason wrote: »

Ya they got its at a good price around 1 million but they might be looking at Nama from a funding point of view.

Got any evidence of this?

biko

WillieMason wrote: »

Hearing a lot of talk...

WillieMason wrote: »

I heard Nama are involved

Sounds like hearsay and gossip.
Do you have anything solid, like a news source?

Cosmo Kramer

Apologies, wrong thread.

Can a mod merge this into the airport mega thread please

Robbo

WillieMason wrote: »

Ya they got its at a good price around 1 million but they might be looking at Nama from a funding point of view.

NAMA don't do that kind of thing, in particular when any proposed project wouldn't be even in planning by the time NAMA ceases to exist.

They funded developers who were under their ambit as a "work out" strategy, they do not lend to anyone else.

zell12

Fianna Fail want to turn the airport into a.. car park

Councillor Alan Cheevers instigates a motion to the city council to pilot a park and ride scheme that would begin at Galway Aiport and serve Parkmore as well as the city centre.
https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/city-councillor-calls-for-park-and-ride-service-at-galway-airport/

youngrun

zell12 wrote: »

Fianna Fail want to turn the airport into a.. car park

A very good suggestion.

zell12

Well P&R did not work in 2013, why would it now?