Waterford Airport.

This is something random found on Google -i've zero idea how up to date or accurate the population figures or distribution is , but it's a start ..

https://www.tomforth.co.uk/circlepopulations/

SE should be attractive as a tourist destination, copper coast and all that, proximity to south of UK, France. Warmer than Dublin and better beaches. Short flying time.

But getting to it, flying to Dublin then driving down is a bit of a faff. You'd imagine you could drum enough trade to generate a bit of modest traffic to the SE. It worked in the past.

It's just all a little neglected, a little ignored.

But theres so much negativity to any thing that isn't Dublin.

I think you've got to consider road network not just distance. Parts of Kerry have longer travel distance due to the minor nature of the roads. Which makes traveling to Dublin or other airports longer than it first appears. You've also got tourist temporary population.

But you'd have to say it wasn't lack of population that caused the decline in regional airports but economic downturn.

That link is interesting actually. But to get it out to 600k you have to include most of the M8 corridor between Cork and Portlaoise where there would be next to no patronage of Waterford airport. When you pull it back in to 50km you probably get a more realistic circle showing the area that would gravitate more towards Waterford. But the catchment population within that circle was 300k, not 600k.

Kerry does great business in private jets from Europe and the US which allows them to survive with low passenger numbers and relatively limited government subvention. That private traffic would never be achievable at Waterford though.

Derry is possibly a better comparison to Waterford than Kerry, but it only stays open these days courtesy of a €7m annual subvention in the form of direct and PSO funding from Stormont. So, if you equate that to Waterford, even if it got to Derry's numbers - and there's no guarantee that it would - you're looking at another €70m a decade plus inflation on top of the initial runway expansion costs just to keep the place going.

Yeah , I was thinking that, it's time to travel rather than distance..

Where I live now is 30 - 40 mins from my parents house where I grew up ,

When I was 17 ,18 that same trip would have taken an hour and a half ,

But if Derry is only getting 150k passengers, including a PSO that Waterford couldn't get, and according to the link above has about twice the population within 50km of the airport that Waterford has, there's little to suggest Waterford would break 100k passengers a year.

The more you look into it the more you realise what a waste of time and money the whole thing would be.

But yet Kerry can handle over 400k passengers with a smaller population base than Waterford in a 50km range despite being nestled between Shannon and Cork Airports.

Waterford has already handled over 100k passengers with turboprops.

Here is the thing, there are those who say it will work, there are those who will say it won't.

The airport is already operational, but limited in it's operation.

€12 million is small money, even €70 million over 10 years is small money, throw it at it and see if it works, worst case scenario, the airport handles one daily return flight to Luton, increased private flights, ensuring the future of R117, Ireland is an island, with continuous growth in population.

Some people will say it's waste of money, here is thing money is wasted in this country daily, by not doing this work you won't ensure the money goes to good use.

By the way , when was the 12 million figure first bandied around ? I can't imagine that it was actually 12 million needed to complete the build back a few years ago , and construction inflation has been fairly high since , so is it 12 million they're still looking for ?

I will say this much. In a country where €300k is spent on a bike shed, €12m is hardly alot to spend on something which might have genuine economic benefits for the region.

If it's not happening I'm selling up and getting out. It part of a solution to a bigger problem; without it, I believe the future is very bleak for this part of the world.

Depending on your financial situation, Waterford will only be good for collecting the dole or collecting rents.

Or pulling a wage from the many pharma, IT, health, public service industries that are available here.

Also Kerry hitting 388k pax up to the end of November. I'm convinced Waterford can achieve what Kerry does which would be huge to Waterford and surrounding counties.

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kerry/south-kerry-news/kerry-airport-set-for-busy-christmas-with-reports-of-positive-passenger-numbers-in-2024/a290737379.html

... And both sligo and Galway are 1 hour from Knock and we are told the people won't travel 1 hour to Waterford…

I think people would and they have - it’s the convenience of Knock vs Dublin which would be the same experience at WAT. Dublin has become a pain in the arse quite frankly. Used to be grand but the M50 etc is a lot worse now

Mary Butler being tipped for a full ministerial position.

Both herself and John Cummins are part of the negotiating team to form the next government. If the airport is not delivered in the next government then that's it.

If a full minister and an aspiring full minister can't deliver it then I honestly give up.