Ireland West Airport has welcomed the announcement that funding to the amount of €1,000,524 from the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport has been approved for Safety and Security Projects under the CAPEX and PPR-C Schemes of the Regional Airports Programme. Capital expenditure (CAPEX ) of €569,964 and PPR-C (Public Policy Remit-Capital ) funding of €430,560 was provided.
Arthur French, Chairman, Ireland West Airport said: "We welcome the announcement of funding by Eamon Ryan, Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport and also Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for Aviation.
"The funding supports the airport in undertaking critical safety and security related projects and ensures the airport maintains the highest standards of regulatory compliance in these areas.
"We very much look forward to meeting with and working closely with Ministers Ryan and Naughton and their respective departments in delivering on the recommendations of the recently published Aviation Taskforce Report to support the recovery and sustainability of regional connectivity both during and post Covid-19."
Deputy Michael Ring stated: "I am pleased that this funding has been allocated to Ireland West Airport Knock. The funding is in respect of capital works around safety and security in the airport. This funding is part of the National Development Plan.
"This funding is a substantial boost to Ireland West Airport Knock during these very difficult times for the aviation industry. I am hopeful that this funding, like previous Government funding, will help the airport to continue to develop as a top quality airport for the West and North West of the country."
The main body of funding of €569,964 is to support the completion of the rehabilitation of the airport's 2,400 metre runway. The airport invested close to €3 million to complete the project in addition to the exchequer funding.
The overlay, which included a complete resurfacing and the installation of new ground lighting systems is required to ensure that the runway continues to meet the strict regulations governing the operation and specification of runways at major airports.
The funding of €430,560 supports critical safety related projects which include - replacement of Aeronautical Ground Lighting on the airport’s runway, critical Airfield maintenance and ground works and the refurbishment & the upgrade of Electrical Infrastructure AGL & Air Traffic Control (ATC ) Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS ) Systems.
