The ups and downs of our regional airports

Following the extremely regrettable decision by Aer Arann Regional to cease operations at Galway Airport from the 1st of November, Ryanair’s recent announcement that it is to launch four new direct routes between mainland Europe and Ireland West Airport Knock next year brings a significant boost to tourism in the West of Ireland.

Beginning in March 2012, the four new services from Frankfurt (Hahn), Paris (Beauvais), Milan (Bergamo) and Barcelona (Girona) will take to 14 the number of routes operated by Ryanair at Ireland West Airport Knock.

With figures showing that visitor numbers from mainland Europe to Ireland have increased by more than 12 per cent in the first nine months of 2011, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland said, “the intoduction of these new Ryanair flights is fantastic news; they will certainly expand travel options for German, French, Italian and Spanish holidaymakers who wish to visit Mayo and the West of Ireland”.

Joe Gilmore, Managing Director of Ireland West Airport Knock, expressed his delight in welcoming the four new routes to the airport. “In 2012, Ryanair will deliver over 600,000 seats to and from Knock, providing low cost direct access for European tourists to the beautiful West coast of Ireland which will boost tourism in this region.” This latest development is warmly welcomed by hoteliers in the region as the new connections between Knock Airportand these important European markets is expected to increase numbers at the airport by 10 per cent to an estimated 725,000 passengers in 2012. Fergal Ryan, Chairman of the Mayo Branch of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) said: “hoteliers across the county are looking forward to working closely with our tourism partners to promote the new routes and showcase the amazing range of scenic and cultural attractions Mayo and the West of Ireland have to offer.”

Aer Arann

Staying with the important issue regarding the future of regional airports in Ireland, Aer Arann has been at the centre of both unfortunate and promising developments in recent times. News of the suspension of Aer Arann Regional’s operations for the winter months at Galway Airport came as a devastating blow to the region. Considering the number of workers commuting to Britain during the week in the current economic situation, the loss of services from Galway Airport to London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester and Edinburgh will no doubt have a detrimental impact on those who depend on the service to travel home regularly.

Following the announcment, Paul Schütz, Chief Executive of Aer Arann Regional, said: “we sincerely regret having to make this decision. A number of issues have combined to bring about this decision but the biggest driver is the economy which has led to fewer people travelling and a significant reduction in fare revenues, which is being experienced by regional airlines all over Europe.”With Aer Arann exiting examinership just over a year ago, Mr. Schütz expressed regret that in reality, the carrier is “not in a position to continue to operate routes that are not commercially viable.”