Ireland West Airport has welcomed the announcement of funding of €1.9m for the airport under the Public Policy Remit Operational Expenditure Subvention (PPR-O ) and Covid-19 Supplementary Support Funding Scheme.
Funding provided under the Regional Airports Programme contributes towards vital safety and security operations at the airports such as air traffic control, fire services and security, ensuring airports can continue to remain compliant with regulatory requirements in these areas.
Passenger numbers at Ireland West Airport in 2021 are expected to be 188,000 which will be a 77 per cent decline on pre Covid passenger numbers, which reached a record high 807,000 in 2019. In 2020 142,000 passengers used the airport with commercial flight operations suspended for almost nine months across 2020 and 2021.
Arthur French, Ireland West Airport chairman, said: “I wish to thank the Taoiseach, Minister 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 over the last 18 months in particular.
“Without this ongoing support and that of our local authority shareholders and airline partners, the airport would have been in a critically vulnerable position through the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst the airport and indeed the entire aviation sector continues to be adversely impacted by Covid-19 we are confident that once the pandemic subsides, demand for international travel will rebound stronger than ever and we will return to passenger growth sooner than anticipated.” — Cian O’Connell
