Waterford Airport.

Valhalla90

Voters need to remember this sage come the election which will be within the next year! Our Green Party TD has been silent not a peep from him on the airport issue. Ryan as Green Party leader is the biggest hypocrite I have witnessed and is holding the airport up now. Butler needs to get the pressure on from FF on this issue or she is gone next election. It’s tiny money in the big scheme of things. Yet one man seems to be calling all the shots. Could you imagine the frustration if this was in Cork or Dublin. It wouldn’t happen there that’s the problem. Sooner Ryan is gone and his TD here the better!

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945377#Comment_121945377

So the Department requested additional information 6 weeks ago, and the airport management still haven't provided it?

purplepanda

Sligo Airport to Knock Airport, 60K, Kerry Airport to Cork Airport, 105Km, Waterford Airport to Cork Airport, 133Km, Waterford Airport to Dublin Airport 189Km. So it's alright for users from Sligo & Kerry to travel much shorter distances to a regional airport but not people from Waterford & the South East?

Any valid comparison between the development of Sligo & Kerry Airports with Waterford Airport would certainly conform that Waterford & the South East of Ireland is being discriminated against by successive governments.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945746#Comment_121945746

What exactly has Sligo airport been given that Waterford hasn't? Sligo hasn't had a commercial flight since 2011; it's not capable of taking commercial jets, and there's never been a hint of Govt funding to extend the runway there.

There's been some idiotic claims made on this thread - but claiming that Sligo Airport has been treated better than Waterford is up there with the best of them.

Dum_Dum_2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945627#Comment_121945627

If the Department doesn't like it then they can build it themselves. Public, private, we're not dogmatic. It's the only region without access to mass aviation. That needs to be made right.

beachhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945746#Comment_121945746

Sligo airport haha

purplepanda

London to Sligo Airport 2/3 flights a day direct. WTF?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946575#Comment_121946575

Sligo airport hasn't had flights to London since about 1990. It hasn't had any commercial flights since 2011

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946608#Comment_121946608

There was a London service for less than a year if I remember correctly. I remember my uncle using it once to fly home from London, and it was gone by the time his next visit home rolled around.

purplepanda

Still comes up in search options, hence me saying WTF? If you go to book it changes to Derry or Knock! LOL!

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946672#Comment_121946672

You can get search results for the Dublin Mostyn ferry, or Cork Swansea still. Just catching people who remember old services and redirecting them

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946686#Comment_121946686

You can get results for London-Waterford too - but most people have the wit to know better.

There's far too may on this thread not interested in facts, just in throwing anything they think might help their argument.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121946704#Comment_121946704

Correct and the facts are.

Within the South East Region there is a population of over 500k. Granted a chunk of that population is as close to Cork and Dublin Airport as they are to Waterford.

Waterford City is just under 2hours to Cork Airport and just over 2hours to Dublin Airport (by car), public transport takes a lot longer.

Waterford airport was once a success handling over 100k passengers will limited aircraft such as the ATR72s and the BAE146.

It previously operated 3 daily London flights. We all know how volatile regional Airlines are and stobard purchasing are arann had an awful effect of Waterford.

VLM were extremely expensive and flybe had their own financial issues.

Waterford continues to operate for private flights, freight, aero club, Atlantic flight training and SAR services.

Waterford has secured €12 million to part fund a runway extension.

Government needs to provide €12 million and would most likely require to provide somewhere between 800k - €2million a year for operational costs until a stage Waterford builds up it's aviation movements.

Waterford and the south East lack a stand alone University when compared to cork Limerick and Galway and increasing the runway would have a positive impact on the Waterford and south east regions economy.

Increased runway would not only allow the airport to potentially attack commercial services, it always allows the airport to explore the opportunity of maintenance and attaching private operators.

Landing one Gulfstream and providing a full tank of fuel is a major stream of income.

People may say, I don't want to see the government blow €12m million and €1 - €2 million a year on a chance.

The fact is the government will blow that money somewhere else and if that small investment improves Waterford's and the south East economy by a small fraction it would be money well spent.

And if it doesn't and it doesn't work out, close it. It's only small change to take the chance.

dzilla

Regardless of the for and against the airport I think the government need to adapt this approach to financing elsewhere for other small to medium regional projects nationally. If you really want something raise some capital and put the money where your mouths are and call our bluff.

Valhalla90

When you see the money that is being spent in numerous governmental departments it’s truly shocking that we have to beg for this investment. I really feel this would be approved already if Ryan wasn’t dragging his heels on it. It’s one man’s biased opinion that the region is expected to accept yet every other region in the state has connectivity. We are not asking for a Heathrow hub. Sooner Greens are gone to more chance we have of getting WAT up and running.

dzilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948692#Comment_121948692

I agree it is not ideal but if it happens to get funded and then for instance some other regional investment is needed elsewhere in the country the government can point to this funding model and say "if ye want it bad enough raise some capital and we will talk"

Deise Vu

There wouldn’t even be the existing airport only that the funds were raised locally initially. The RSC was started with funds deducted from the wages of Waterford workers. The new wing of the hospital had a fundraising sign outside showing the €6m raised locally. What **** other part of the country has to run a parallel taxation system to get basic **** done? Even this project is for matching funds, a huge portion of which will flow back to govt in taxation.

I pointed this out before but it is worth repeating. When Lotto funds were distributed to create 8 RSCs, 7 were given £1.5M and Waterford was given £500K because “it was already well developed “. That’s the reward you get for being proactive. Who the **** else would put up with constant ****?

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948692#Comment_121948692

I disagree since FG formed a government they have constantly stated how important Waterford Airport is.

They have had 15 years to develop the airport, pre COVID they could have delivered this work for €12 million all in.

I am sick of hearing politicians big up the airport and play political football near elections. If they honestly support the airport then deliver the infrastructure and if not then let it sink and stop spouting shite.

15 years in government €2 million a year and the project would be well and truly delivered and a few years operational funding provided.

robwen

https://www.ireland-live.ie/news/kilkenny-live/1462036/waterford-airport-is-a-white-elephant-says-councillor-from-kilkenny.html

Cllr Fitzgerald would be looking to contest the next general election for FG in Cw/Kk

914

This is the same idiot who also labeled SETU as power grabbing by not delivering a campus in Kilkenny, he is the ultimate parish pump kind od politician.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121956364#Comment_121956364

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121956552#Comment_121956552

I'd say he's related to Phil Hogan

Cosmo Kramer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121945386#Comment_121945386

The last time I looked at the map the region had not one but two motorways connecting it to the capital. So maybe spare those of us in other other parts of the country still using glorified cart tracks the lecture about investment, thanks very much. Despite what a few blow hards on here would have you believe, the south east seems to be more than holding its own in terms of investment compared to other regions.

Waterford isn't comparable to the various small airports on the west coast, who each cater to areas that are genuinely remote from the network - west Kerry, west and north Mayo, north west Donegal etc. Forgotten Ireland basically. There's no similar case to be made in Waterford. The area has fantastic connections to the biggest airport and sea ports in the state. It doesn't need yet more millions plowed into it to reopen an unnecessary airport that hardly anyone will use. If it gets done in the end it will only happen for political reasons, not because there is any real need or justification for it.

I appreciate that's not what many on here want to hear but it's the honest truth.

Deiseen

Waterford is the Republics fifth biggest city but the gulf in investment between it and the next closest in size (Galway) is beyond measurable.

In your post, you have actually gone and proven everyone's grievances on here to be correct. You have compared Waterford to backwaters when it should be on the same footing as Dublin (with DA), Cork (with CA), Limerick (with Shannon) and Galway (with Knock).

To get up to the levels of the other cities, we need a proper university, a properly funded hospital, comparable government investment and a functioning airport. At the moment we have neither and this requires investment such as what we are currently discussing in this thread.

Stop looking at this in the lense of a comparison between Waterford/Donegal and start looking at it as Waterford/Limerick and then I think the issue will become clear.

As someone said before, if the airport results in one or more significant IDA investments then it wil have justified its relatively meager cost and continued running costs. After that maybe we can look at the university, hospital and comparable investment in other sectors.

BBM77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960460#Comment_121960460

To add to what Deiseen wrote. For example, Waterford city on it's own has a bigger population than some counties. UHW serves the same population as St Vincents in Dublin. That is where the issue of disparity in government investment comes from. That is the honest truth that time and time again is being purposefully ignored by the government.

Also, if Waterford can get funding to extend the runway and Ryanair has already said they would do flights then why not go for it?

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960460#Comment_121960460

Yawn! Even without motorways, Donegal is only a 90 minute drive to both Derry airport and knock airport.

Even knock airport is only 1hr and 40 minute drive to Shannon airport.

Kerry Airport is also less than a 90 minutes drive to both Shannon and cork airports.

Despite the motorway it is still a two hour spin from Waterford to Dublin airport.

Granted I have based the times on today's travel times they may increase at peak times but it shows Waterford.

Airports are generally built in places of remoteness or population, it has already been stated that an airport in Waterford you serve the 500k population of the region while being 2 hours away from its nearest airport.

Again we are talking small change, a couple of million, the money will easily be pissed up against the wall in some or vanity project somewhere.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960832#Comment_121960832

Shannon is a shorter drive to Galway city than Knock due to the M18 (and less than 5km difference in distance).

Either way - if you want to claim Waterford should have the same as Galway, then that’s an airport approx 90km and 1hr drive away from the city.

Deiseen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963846#Comment_121963846

Well lucky them.. Two airports within an hour of the city!

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963846#Comment_121963846

If Waterford had a functional airport within an hour's drive if the city we wouldn't be having this conversation about extending the runway at Waterford airport.

The fact is we don't have an airport within an hour of the city, at best the nearest airport is 2 hours drive away and we won't even compare how long public transport can take.

Deiseen

Dublin airport is 3 hours by bus. If you are lucky.

hardybuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121950941#Comment_121950941

I think it would be important to add that the airport has had owners for all of those 15 years who have also decided not to make that type of investment in the airport also, most notably the billionaires who reportedly agreed to purchase the airport two years ago.

There's so many questions that people have, and very little in terms of transparency. Why did the airport, when funding was approved in principle in 2019, take four and half years to supply the business case for appraisal? That seems like absolute madness when money was on the table.

Now after taking so long to submit a business case costs have inevitably risen significantly. Who knows what the bill will be now, will the Councils be willing to pay out more, will the private investors be willing to pay more, and will the Government also?

I wouldn't be surprised if the ability of the Councils and the investors to fund the increased costs could well be an issue.