On Monday 27 June, Cork Airport acting managing director Roy O'Driscoll hosted a visit of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, led by committee chairperson Kieran O'Donnell TD. The committee was in Cork on the invitation of DAA chairman Basil Geoghegan for a meeting with airport management to discuss Cork Airport's recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, to look at Cork Airport's growth projections for the next number of years, and to receive a comprehensive update on the major infrastructural works completed to date and projects currently being carried out.
Details
In his presentation to the committee, O'Driscoll outlined that DAA has invested €40 million in major infrastructural projects at Cork Airport over the past three years. In 2020, €12 million was invested in a new hold baggage screening system, an investment designed to bring the current baggage screening system up to modern security requirements. In 2021, Cork Airport undertook the largest and fastest infrastructural project completed in the state in recent times when the main jet-capable runway 16-34 was fully reconstructed and rehabilitated. The on-time, on-budget reconstruction of the runway was supported by an investment of €10 million by the Department of Transport. In May, work commenced on the construction of a new electrical substation with an anticipated completion date of April 2023. The new substation will replace a currently, near-obsolete substation constructed in the 1960s. This project effectively represents phase two of the runway reconstruction which included a full replacement of legacy airfield lighting with modern, energy-efficient LED lighting to the highest modern specifications.
Cork Airport recently revised its 2022 passenger projections upwards to 2.1 million. The upward revision from 1.8 million is primarily due to the strong demand for international travel and the range of new route additions (for both summer and winter) that have been announced.
Cork Airport anticipates being the first state airport to reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers. In 2019, 2.6 million passengers travelled through Cork Airport. It is anticipated that Cork Airport will serve this number of passengers in 2024.
Statement By O'Driscoll
Speaking on the visit of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, O'Driscoll said "On behalf of Cork Airport, I was very pleased to welcome the members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications to Cork Airport today. The members were provided with detailed updates on Cork Airport's performance as the post-pandemic recovery continues along with an outline of growth prospects for the next number of years. Cork Airport is tremendously grateful for the support of the Department of Transport in undertaking some key infrastructural projects - most notably, the reconstruction of our main runway. As a valued member of DAA Group, Cork Airport will work towards continually improving the choice and variety for passengers across our route network."
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