Waterford Airport.

There is an upper limit on the numbers of passengers who can use the airport - it's been held at 32 million since 2008. There is an application in with the local council to increase that number because they're coming very close to that upper ceiling - 31.9 million passengers used the airport last year.

Dublin Airport, and the likes of Ryanair and Aer Lingus, want to increase that cap so that they can continue to grow their passenger numbers. However, a lot of people in the area don't want the airport to get any busier as they're fed up of the traffic and the noise (the noise with the new runway seemed to be a big issue).

In the short term the airlines are limited in their ability to add new routes - or to put on special flights for things like sporting fixtures or flights to Lapland to see Santa at Christmas. In the medium term there is probably a genuine debate about how much capacity Dublin Airport can or should have.

If capacity is restricted in Dublin it'll presumably go elsewhere to the likes of Shannon and Cork who have spare capacity. People in business will find solutions rather than not doing anything about their problems.

Shannon in particular would appear well placed to hoover up a lot of the catchment around the midlands who might be using Dublin at the moment and it's a similar spin to Shannon. It's also well placed to service the tourists who want to see the west.

I don't want to stray off topic but it's probably relevant as the level of demand for travel around the country and the level of capacity to service that demand will have an inevitable impact on whatever happens in Waterford.

M50: Dublin motorists and people taking flights warned of severe delays after crash

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/05/17/dublin-motorists-and-people-taking-flights-warned-of-severe-delays-after-m50-crash/

I considered using the bus from Waterford to Dublin but my return flight was late so it wouldn’t have worked for me. It also takes a long time to get there. You’re looking at 6 hours of Irish travel in total before you’ve stepped on a plane to go anywhere in Europe.

2 to get to Dublin (if you’ve been gargling holy water), 2 in the airport, 2 home again.

Where I was staying, I got a train direct to the airport (1st class, quiet carriage €20) and did some work on the train. Everything seemed so much simpler and less dependent on the place where you live being ridden of services to impress voters elsewhere.

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/waterford-airport-runway-build-faces-delay-as-government-continues-to-assess-12m-funding/a173829816.html

Likely not happening until next year now.

Ryan was in town today with hands swinging as usual

Anyone with any common sense should not vote for the Greens in the Local,European and General Elections. Ryan is the worst transport minister I think the state has ever had.

I agree Ryan is a Muppet but FG and FF are also part of this government, and FG have been since 2011.

Just like aspirations for a University of Waterford they also have zero aspirations for Waterford Aiport

Marc Ó Cathasaigh is extremely vocal about bikes - bike lanes, bike rental schemes, etc etc etc.

Not so much about the airport though.

How much cash are the Comers proposing to put up , ? I saw an article a while back that was implying that their purchase of the airport was their contribution. Not sure if that's the case

From a Waterford perspective he could give us the extension in the morning if he actually wanted to. This is the problem he doesn’t.

Way too little too late.. Even her statement is wishy washy

Week 25

Spiteful Government still keeping friends and family apart, stifling Waterford businesses and crippling the local economy. Beyond pathetic the fumbling around looking for the latest angle to stymie progress.

Full support of this 'policy' from FF - Jack Chambers four square behind their Green partners. All singing from the same hymn sheet:
https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/waterford-airport-runway-build-faces-delay-as-government-continues-to-assess-12m-funding/a173829816.html

Only region without access to mass aviation. Government has deemed the South East unworthy of parity. Somehow lesser and it's citizens not worth investing in; their views aloof & vacant at best and full disdain at worst.

No scoping of alternate sites, no alternative plan, no vision - just chronically delinquent sub-par governance.

You know that if demand was that high, the existing airport has sufficient runway to run services at a higher cost to anywhere in the UK; and indeed as far away as Germany/Spain with specific models of aircraft, right? Because all of this actually happened before. I used to fly out of WAT to the UK pre-T2 opening in Dublin as the longer drive from Kildare was made up for by the ease of use.

The NW has an even more limited airport and has service to the UK.

Central Government are never going to provide an entirely new airport anywhere in the country off their own bat, and Waterford have got themselves tied to exceptionally unreliable businessmen (see the Sentinel and the Dublin Sports Hotel) - they need to receive significant amounts of blame here.

Realistically, Ryan could announce state funding tomorrow and I'd still expect nothing to happen due to the Comers.

But we have no idea the type and context of the information being requested. It could all be deliberate delay tactics from the department. Like the money that is wasted daily in this country with no accountability yet we need to move mountains for 7 million for a piece of infrastructure that will improve the economy of the region. It’s political will and it’s not coming from the government especially the Greens and Ryan!

As ive said before 12 million is absolutely nothing in this context, the govt literally have a surplus of 8 billion euro ffs. There is absolutely no need for them to have to ask all these questions to the airport and spend 6 months and counting to review this. No, im not saying money should just be thrown at every project ever without questioning, but with this it's not only like i said a small amount, but also has obvious benefits to the region. i was hopeful that we'd see work being done in 2024 but those hopes are fading fast.

I also have no doubt pre the general election the government will state that the business case is solid and they fully support it but unless we see machinery on site it will be more shite talk