Waterford Airport.

27 million now before a plane lands or takes off. Would likely be millions more again by the time it's actually done. And no doubt millions more every year on top of that to keep the place functioning going forward.

Doesn't sound like the Council's CEO actually wants any part in it either. Probably knows it's nothing more than a white elephant.

Plan B is the bin the whole thing is about to get thrown in.

As I have posted here before the country is awash with money for NGOs,people claiming asylum, their pets also…. yet they will deny us this piece of infrastructure on the basis of it costing 27million yet the airport is making a loss yearly of 300k why not at least turn the tide of some sort and give the region better connectivity that will bring in employment etc. The answer is we are not Dublin or Cork so we don’t matter. Remember this come Election Day. Fine Gael,Fianna Fail & The Greens are all part of this problem.

If Cullen hadn’t got us the motorway could you imagine hoping the current lot locally and nationally would deliver it ?

Yep that's it. If the government put away €1 million per year since getting into power, pre COVID with that €1 million a year they could have funded the whole project, that is how little money we are talking about, even now they would have their 50% share covered!

Matt Shanahan the only one who opens his mouth for Waterford. Rest , nowhere.

Who were these "undesirables" that got moved to Ferrybank?

The idea that the airport would be self sustaining at 300k passengers a year is pie in the sky as well. It would need to be at well over a million a year to have any chance of that.

Still think asking the public to help fund it will be the quickest way to achieve the runway extension and get commercial flights back up and running .. Very same way as the Dunmore Wing of UHW was funded.. 12m is not a huge amount of money in the grand scheme of things

Dunmore wing was 6 million and took a number of years to reach that target. I'm not sure the airport would get the same level of support from the public.

Dunmore wing was to house the South East palliative care after all, that has touched so many people.

I'm not against public funding but as a commerical entity people would want something in return.

Three options

We find a sugar daddy who funds the whole lot

Government fund the whole lot

50/50 private investment and government funding.

Option 3 is on the table and seems a no brainer.

Lads, I'm at a bit of a loss here: Since I moved to Dungarvan in 2022 I don't see why it's such a terrible upset here that Waterford airport isn't up and running for international flights, and why this fact gets so much uproar and airtime on the radio.

Realistically it'd be mostly flights to the UK, which Dublin, Shannon and Cork all do very well currently.

Cork isn't that far, especially to the majority of the land area of the county being under an hour and a half drive (Excluding the city).

Multiple millions of euro just to shave what would be a ~2 hour drive to Cork from the city when you want to go to the UK down to a short drive seems a bit daft. The airlines would really need to have a sun holiday option at a price that would be worth it vs going to Cork for it to make even a smidge of sense.

Bypassing some of the towns along the N25 in Waterford or Cork using that money would bring the travel time to a sensible enough level to make much more sense. Galway's arguably much more in need of an airport of its own but people there can live with the hour and a half to either Shannon or Knock without a campaign for Carnmore to be international.

If the argument is that the tiny bit of south Wexford isn't within 2 hours of an international airport, then I'm sorry but that's laughable: How many people even live there?

“Airport near Kilkenny” and this is exactly why the South East has the problems that it has. They cannot even mention the name Waterford. Pathetic journalism.

Correct people did invest before but nowhere near the level needed as we are still talking about an extension, 30 off years after people invested by purchasing shares.

Here's hoping but more likely he's going to say " on yer bike!!"

They are out of touch as it is. He most likely will come down talk a load of crap and continue to be vague and not give a decision. His TD here is 100% gone next election.

I wouldn't be so sure we have had plenty minister visits in the past 24 months all with hands swinging.

I'm not sure that they even care anymore, he'll probably get a few pics on the new Ross Greenway, north Quays/new bridge

Fair points Teebor15.

Although it does not take 19 weeks to get to where we are. The department obviously need to do due diligence - but they have the resources to do this very quickly or slowly. Slowly means asking questions on a six week correspondence cycle, dragging it out and saying everything needs to be done properly all the time while letting weeks and months fly by. Quickly, means a Minister says get this done quickly, there is rapid engagement cycles over 2-3 weeks (it is not as though the dept do not know this issue inside out; and not just in Waterford, Donegal and Kerry too), and either this case stands or falls.

It is a bad sign that Ryan is not in town, although Green politics is more forthright that FF/FG, the bottom line is that for almost 20 years the runway extension has been kicked around and not done.

It does need to go to cabinet, and ultimately this is a political call.

Junior Minister... Talks ongoing..

https://www.wlrfm.com/news/junior-transport-minister-keen-to-accelerate-work-on-waterford-airport-358432

Ryan has announced the site of the designated zone for wind farms off the Waterford and South Wexford coasts. It’s probably safe to assume he was going to unveil this at a photo op down here when someone pointed out he would be asked about the airport. Thus the sharp exit stage right…….

We have a better chance of getting a space shuttle site than Ryan approving anything other than the demolition of the airport.