Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton TD has announced the allocation of almost €16.4 million in Exchequer funding to regional airports under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025, according to a statement published on Gov.ie.
Details
According to the statement published on Gov.ie, almost €6.6 million has been allocated to the regional airports at Donegal, Ireland West (Knock) and Kerry, and over €9.8 million has been allocated to the regional state airports at Shannon and Cork, and the allocations will contribute towards capital investment in the areas of safety and security at airports, while also supporting projects with a sustainability focus.
According to the statement published on Gov.ie, funding allocations are being provided as follows:
| Airport | Grant Allocation € |
| Donegal | €722,169 |
| Ireland West (Knock) | €4,760,485 |
| Kerry | €1,084,482 |
| Shannon | €4,347,750 |
| Cork | €5,462,385 |
| Total | €16,377,27 |
Statements By Minister Naughton
The statement published on Gov.ie included a statement from Minister Naughton that said, "Government has maintained a strong commitment to the aviation sector during the COVID crisis and has allocated an unprecedented €161 million in aviation specific supports, in 2021 alone, to our airports. I am delighted today to be building on this commitment, as Irish aviation enters the recovery period."
Minister Naughton added, "Today's announcement represents government's commitment to continue to support Ireland's regional airports to remain financially sustainable as they prepare for growth into the future. This capital funding will support a great number of safety and security related capital projects, ensuring that airports can continue to remain compliant with regulatory requirements in these areas. I am pleased to announce also that, in line with the broadening of the scope of the programme, a significant number of this year's projects have a sustainability focus, facilitating the sustainable growth of the sector."
Statements By Ireland West Airport Knock And Its Chairman
In a statement published on its website, Ireland West Airport Knock said that welcomes the announcement of funding of €4,760,485 towards capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects, and that key safety and security related projects to be supported by this funding include a major upgrade of the airport's electrical infrastructure across the entire airport campus; the construction of a new fire training centre; the purchase of a new fire tender vehicle; and runway end safety area upgrades.
Ireland West Airport Knock added that it will invest more than€1 million to support the completion of these projects in addition to the Exchequer funding.
The statement published on IrelandWestAirport.com also included a statement from Ireland West Airprot Knock chairman Arthur French that said, "We welcome today's announcement of funding by the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD, which will assist the airport in undertaking critically important safety and security related projects this year. This funding will support the latest phase of our airport transformation programme aimed at both futureproofing the airport and ensuring our facilities meet the needs of our customers as we prepare for a significant increase in demand for international travel this summer and for the remainder of 2022. I wish to thank the Taoiseach, Ministers Ryan and, in particular, our local Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD, who works tirelessly in supporting this airport and region and also to our local TDs, political representatives and the Western Chambers for their strong support for the airport and the regions it serves."
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