Waterford Airport.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123012378#Comment_123012378

I wouldn't be surprised if it is delivered soonish , the costs will skyrocket

, construction already has ..

I'm kind of assuming it was the business plan that let it down , they don't have a core customer...

dan575283578

If James Lawless is minister for transport it might be bad news for this

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123086061#Comment_123086061

Go away.

Valhalla90

Darragh O Brien as Transport minister. Good for the airport.

914

It puts pressure on Butler and FF anyway, Mary was very vocal in saying it stalled because they didn't have one of their own as minister.

FG can blame FF if it's not delivered

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123090402#Comment_123090402

Vey vocal and Mary Butler is an oxymoron.

Dunmoreroader

https://www.wlrfm.com/news/watch-local-lunatics-ryanair-boss-says-waterford-airport-not-viable-411044

Dum_Dum_2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123127036#Comment_123127036

Senior Ryanair management underestimating journey times by 50% should be a red flag to investors. It means their analysis of catchments is way-off. Investors would also be concerned at the dismissal of a captive market. Although more lucrative markets may currently exist, they are unlikely to be more captive as a corner of an island when the inevitable downturn comes. Ireland's regions offer a long-term stable income stream.

dan575283578

seems like a load of bollox to me, no way is dublin 1h30 away, youd be doing well to get there within 2 hours. And cork 1h!!!!!

Muttley79

What else to expect from a pig but a grunt.his one arrogant man.

William bolster stated on wlr that he got it in "word" that if Waterford got the runway extension that Ryanair would fly out of there.that leaves his credibility in tatters!!!

A little history lesson for Michael o Leary who called Waterford people 'lunatics'

It was the same lunatics that sourced aviation fuel for Ryanair one evening in the late 80s that the plane did not have enough fuel to return back to stansted.only for the goodwill of the local lunatics Ryanair would have died in Waterford that evening!!

azimuth17

Sure what do ye need a unversity for? Haven't ye a great road to Dublin and Cork? What do ye need radiotherapy for? Haven't ye a great road to Dubin and Cork? WHat do ye need 24.7 cardiology for? Haven't ye a great road to Dubin and Cork?

Same old, same old. If it was food we'd be starved out of it!

decies

people need to calm down on O Leary being O Leary nothing more nothing less just falling into the media trap that likes of Damo Tiernan wants . Let our local new ministers do their bloody job now and get this over the line !!

gw80

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123127841#Comment_123127841

Amazing ain't it,

Imagine if you were to put it to Dublin people that due to the cap in Dublin airport the daa are going to open Waterford as a spill over for Dublin airport,what kind of response would you get from dubliners if you said to them "shur,it's only 1h.30mins down the road"

There would be uproar.

Valhalla90

Get Wizz air in and watch Ryanair go ballistic and it won’t be long then until they come to WAT!

Cosmo Kramer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123127036#Comment_123127036

Outstanding, the runway proposals killed stone dead in under a minute by Michael O'Leary. 😂

Someone in power needed to tell it like it is, because clearly our politicians have been incapable of it for long enough.

The only show in town in terms of actually using the extended runway has called ye a bunch of local lunatics. It's done, dead, RIP.

Cosmo Kramer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123127092#Comment_123127092

Yeah, sure, I'd say investors in a €13bn airline are going to be bricking themselves because the CEO took the piss out of an airport with no flights!

Mamasnpapas

Absolutely get someone like that in for 5 years on contract. A couple of London and Spanish routes and Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow for the football. Supermacs and put out a tender for a start up or local coffee brand. Get up, go out and look for sponsorship instead of leaving the place to go to wreck and ruin.

914

I always think it's silly reporters asking O leary if ryanair will fly out of Waterford. The reality is they can't and until a runway is extended and open then and only then should the question be asked.

He also said if they had free operating fees they would probably run two flights daily from Waterford.

That would be 137970 passengers into Waterford a year and 137970 passengers out of Waterford a year, which would give you 275k pax a year, not too shabby for starting off.

O leary will say what he wants to say and what suits him. He'll always play the "we won't fly there" which is then used as a bargaining tool to get free or as cheap as possible operating costs.

It honestly wouldn't bother me what he says until a runway is in place.

Wanderer78

so a narcissist 'speaks his mind', sorry folks, but this ryanair approach was always a con, they were never truly interested, they were using waterford as another tool for their own needs, such as trying to influence other decisions, such as airport caps!

ryanair analysis is perfectly fine, underestimating motorway travel times is just another part of this game, this conveniently directs the blame towards other entities, in particular more so towards state entities, and more so away from ryanair, ryanair have again played this very very well!

this is a great shame, but hopefully the state can pull something out of the bag, but its looking very unlikely for now….

Valhalla90

Play them at their own game. Ryanair are not the only low cost airline out there. Wizz air is expanding at rapid pace. I honestly believe Ryanair would do anything to prevent them coming to WAT. Competition can actually benefit WAT. Don’t let one arrogant Dublin centric mentality knock the South East. Kerry has an airport on Corks doorstep. Ryanair operates from both so he is contradicting himself.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123129673#Comment_123129673

If Waterford gets a runway extension Ryanair will have flights operating there purely to keep competition out.

If Ryanair operated only two flights daily and some charter airline did holiday destinations in summer months the airport would not 300k passengers.

That would be a massive benefit to Waterford and the South East.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123131251#Comment_123131251

…after the comments over the weekend from himself, i seriously doubt this would be the case…..

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123131255#Comment_123131255

He literally said they would operator 2 daily flights if the price was right (free), this is his bargaining tool.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123131263#Comment_123131263

….but he talks sh1t, all the time, this is his game, theres no guarantee theyd rock up, no matter whats offered, id be looking for other operators…..

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123131263#Comment_123131263

For anyone who didn't read the full article

"we said if we get a jet runway and there was a low-cost base, i.e. it was free, we might put one or two flights a day back in there from London"

Kerry Airport is 1hr 20mins from Cork airport yet they operator several flights. If it's there and they can fill a service they will operate.

Valhalla90

It has to appeal to Ryanair and benefit them. So basically he wants a free airport to land in. They will come if the price is right. WAT could easily sustain flights to London,Manchester,Glasgow and a few summer/winter sun destinations.

Asdfgh2020

anyone recall this clip of MOL from a few years back…..confirms that he could say absolutely anything….😡

https://youtu.be/UfIY24BErBE?si=FVVLknLJf5gR05Kq

Markcheese

At the moment, I doubt that he wants to push that there are alternatives to Dublin airport ,

That could change in a minute,

but if the head of the main airline you're touting to bring the passenger numbers is calling your project lunacy then it's gonna make it hard to get a business case over the line ,

If ryanair could fly unlimited flights into their own terminal and shut down all the other airports and just fly Dublin they'd love it ..

Squidvicious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123131272#Comment_123131272

Genuine question, would a couple of flights a day to London allow the airport to "wash its face" or would it be loss making with that number of flights? If that's enough to keep the airport afloat, it makes the amount that being sought from public coffers small beer given that O'Leary has now said that he would use the airport. The key point, though, is that the airport would need to be able to somehow make money while charging Ryanair, at best, very little. Can airports make money in other ways apart from charging airlines for flights?

invara

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123135832#Comment_123135832

It is breakeven territory, remembering that all Irish airports are to a greater or lesser extent cost centres- with none supporting their capital costs. The benefits flow to their host regions economy, the costs are borne on the campus). WAT can supplement its income with adjacent property (like Shannon does), small revenue streams such as parking and retail, as well as controlling its operating costs.

Note some people might now chime in and say Dublin Airport is a powerhouse of profitability- supporting the Cork basket case (stupid capital investments, high public sector running costs), but that is only partially the case. Aer Rianta got into trouble for breaking state aid rules in funding Dublin's capital costs, and most establishment costs were borne by the state. During Covid the airport received public money to support its €320m capital splash. The regional airports pulled down around €200m in public money over the past five years, Cork getting the most (3 ministers).

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123135832#Comment_123135832

Two flights a day and they would require operational funding. This funding is provided under the regional airport funding programme.

Most regional airports make little to no money from commercial flights (until they begin to hit a large volume of flights and passengers).

Taking Waterford as an example there are other revenue streams. The contact for having the based R117 (easily the biggest financial gainer), renting or airport hangers to private operators, flying schools. Fuel sales, landing & handling fees for commercial and private aircraft. Renting of terminal space, offices, shops, car rental etc. car parking, passenger charges.

Let's say ryanair come in and have free landing fees, handling services and take zero fuel.

The airport would have to increased staffing numbers in order to met, security, fire service criteria and operations to handle the aircraft turn around.

From this they would have significant gains in car parking, renting space for shop, car rental and possibly charge a support/development charge per passenger, it would also have income from R117, aero club, Atlantic flight training service, renting of hangers, landing fees, fuel sales form private aircraft etc.

Any outstanding balance would then be provided by government via the regional airport fund.