Ryanair - Galway Airport

bensweeney wrote: »

What are they doing to get Ryanair in there now?

Nothing. The airport is dead.

Even if it wasn't, the runway is too small and always will be.

bensweeney wrote: »

But it is still opened

There are no commercial flights, there are unlikely to ever be commercial flights ever again.

bensweeney wrote: »

Thats why Galway chamber of commerce need to be negotiating with Ryanair, Airlingus or even Wizz Air to get them in.

None of those airlines are going to come in as:

1: There is no demand
2: The airport is physically too small
3: Again, there is no demand.

Its dead. Face it.

bensweeney wrote: »

But there was once well over 300,000 passengers a year using Galway airport. Its in a major population centre, sure look at Knokc! in the middle of no where and big airlines like Ryanair, Air Lingus and Lufthansa are using it. Why not Galway?

I have been in the two airports Knock is not much bigger then Galway.

When there was 300,000 passengers a year there was no motorway to Dublin, no motorway half the way to Shannon and subsidised flights. And many of the routes were losing money.

Knock has a runway that can handle proper sized jets. Galway does not and never will have. All it can handle are turboprops and low loads in small regional jets which limits range and attractiveness. Knock also has ILS, Galway does not and cannot afford it.

Your concept of size is presumably based on the terminal, which is the least important factor.

Well I cannot understand how they did not try and hold talks with Aer Lingus Regional to operate to maybe London and Manchester, after all its Aer Arann aircraft they are using it would be a great attraction to get Aer Lingus back to Galway again when the operated alongside Ryanair.

bensweeney wrote: »

I dont like saying it, but there seems to be lots of people with agendas to the reason why Galway airport cannot be great. Maybe these have links with knock or shannon I do not know. sad to see though.

You dont seem to really understand aviation at all.....

Galway's runway is far too short for any jet to operate full. In order to make it long enough for jets it would need to be MUCH longer and that requires planning permission and local consultation and no doubt there would be locals unhappy with jets coming in and out all day.

Knock and Shannon are close enough that it wouldnt be worth it for any airline.
You would need to upgrade handling facilities, fire and rescue etc etc before you got a jet airline in.

Nobody is going to piss money away extending galway's runway when airlines will just fly to Knock and Shannon anyhow.

Might I add it seems to be you who has the agenda....but you have no real practical plan or picture for Galway to present...

bensweeney wrote: »

How dare you I have no agenda, only the betterment of Connacht. Father James Horan was told the same things about Knock but it was built.

Yes because they needed an airport.....nobody needs an airport in Galway......it would be a waste of money and nobody would fly in there...

Anyhow you wouldnt fit Knock's runway into Galway airfield...it's too long. With stopway/clearway, turntables etc you would need to extend the airport across the roads at each end and into the fields....so unless they want to build a runway/ redirect a few roads no jets are coming into Galway.....ball park figure for wet runway in low vis is 1800m of runway needed I think to safely get in taking margins into account(could be corrected). For Galway to get that length you'd need to move the road and evict people from their houses.....so couple that with the fact there is no need for a jet airport there...and your idea sinks faster than an '800 on a gusty day

Suits wrote: »

Yes because they needed an airport.....nobody needs an airport in Galway......it would be a waste of money and nobody would fly in there...

Anyhow you wouldnt fit Knock's runway into Galway airfield...it's too long. With stopway/clearway, turntables etc you would need to extend the airport across the roads at each end and into the fields....so unless they want to build a runway/ redirect a few roads no jets are coming into Galway.....ball park figure for wet runway in low vis is 1800m of runway needed I think to safely get in taking margins into account(could be corrected). For Galway to get that length you'd need to move the road and evict people from their houses.....so couple that with the fact there is no need for a jet airport there...and your idea sinks faster than an '800 on a gusty day

Galway Airport operated RJ70 Jets to Malaga and Lorient with no problems the Malaga flights were always full, Virgin operated the same jet aircraft as charters during the Galway races , the Aer Arann flights to London Manchester and Edinburgh operated at high capacity so the need is there but the charges were the killer, no one can say there is no need for an Airport in Galway, of course there is a need when you look at the Aer Arann network since it opened. Galway will be back

Storm 10 wrote: »

Galway Airport operated RJ70 Jets to Malaga and Lorient with no problems the Malaga flights were always full, Virgin operated the same jet aircraft as charters during the Galway races , the Aer Arann flights to London Manchester and Edinburgh operated at high capacity so the need is there but the charges were the killer, no one can say there is no need for an Airport in Galway, of course there is a need when you look at the Aer Arann network since it opened. Galway will be back

ATRs are one thing but a 737/a320 etc is different. If Galway wanted the big money airlines in they would have to build a new airport that wasnt where the current one is.

xflyer wrote: »

As others have pointed out Galway is too short and too narrow for jets and there is no room for expansion. This is no accident, the Galway Chamber had no interest in letting Ryanair in. The idea was to protect Aer Arann, ironic though that may be now.

However it is not over for Galway airport, it's just that it will just have to cater for a market other than scheduled flying.

But it's not closed. I looked in recently, the terminal is shut down and there is only a skeleton staff. But aircraft were coming and going, light aircraft mostly of course. Air Corps, survey aircraft, skydiving and the flying club, not to mention the helicopters. Plenty going on. It's for sale and I'm sure there's interest.

Watch this space as they say. It'll soon have a new lease of life.

NFC used to qualify their students XCountry through Shannon/Galway but as far as I know they have changed this now to Knock/Abbyshrule...costs seemed to be the issue...I'd imagine they would have sent a fair bit of traffic that way....