Waterford Airport (Irish: Aerfort Phort Láirge) (IATA: WAT, ICAO: EIWF) is located in Killowen, 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi)[2] southeast of Waterford. It serves southeastern Ireland. The airport is operated by Waterford Regional Airport plc.
Waterford Airport Aerfort Phort Láirge | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Waterford Regional Airport | ||||||||||
| Serves | Waterford, Ireland | ||||||||||
| Location | Killowen | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 119 ft / 36 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°11′14″N 007°05′13″W / 52.18722°N 7.08694°W | ||||||||||
| Website | flywaterford | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Waterford Airport | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||
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Its single scheduled route, operated by VLM Airlines—which used Waterford as its only Irish airport and kept a base there—was discontinued from 13 June 2016 as VLM went out of business, leaving the airport without any scheduled traffic.
History
editEarly years
editThe airport's development was initiated by Waterford Corporation, with support from the Government of Ireland and the private sector, in 1979–1980. The investment was £1.76 million.
Waterford Airport opened in 1981, with a 1,200 by 29 m (3,937 by 95 ft) runway for single and twin-engine light aircraft and a portable cabin as the terminal building. The current terminal building was opened in 1992, and the runway was lengthened to 1,433 by 30 m (4,701 by 98 ft). Avair provided the first domestic passenger service in 1982, as a stop between Cork and Dublin Airport. In 1985, Ryanair launched the company's first international scheduled service from Waterford to London Gatwick.
Development since the 2000s
editWaterford Airport celebrated 21 years of scheduled operations in 2006. On 13 March 2007, a €27.5 million upgrade of the airport was announced. Over the next two years the money would be spent on extending the runway to 7,300 feet (2,200 m) in length, building a new passenger terminal capable of handling one million passengers a year, and introducing scheduled flights to European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Prague and Rome. There was also an expectation of charter flights to Mediterranean holiday resorts. The expansion would mean that air travellers in the southeast of Ireland would have a "credible alternative" to Dublin and Cork airports, according to officials at Waterford Airport. According to the chief executive of Waterford Airport, Graham Doyle, the extended runway was to be in place by summer 2009 and capable of handling large jet aircraft, including the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.[4]
The fully upgraded and remodelled connecting regional road R708 from Waterford city to the airport was completed in early July 2008, reducing the journey time from Waterford city centre to the airport to 10 minutes at off-peak times, and from the outer ring road, R470, to the airport to 5 minutes.
Passenger numbers through Waterford Airport slumped in 2009, owing to the suspension of routes to Bordeaux, Faro, Málaga and Amsterdam, and to service reductions on routes to Birmingham, London Luton and Manchester. Overall passenger numbers from the UK fell by 9%.[5]
2010s
editIn February 2010, an Economic Impact Assessment of Waterford Airport was published, which highlighted the importance of the airport to the South East Region.[6] Noel Dempsey, the Minister for Transport, announced on 9 March 2010 that owing to difficulties with public finances there would be no funding for the runway extension at the airport, and that security and safety were priorities "in the current financial climate".[7]
In November 2012, Aer Arann announced it would terminate all its routes from Waterford. The airline operating under Aer Lingus Regional suspended its service to London Southend, London Luton and Manchester on 6 January.[8]
On 12 August 2013, it was reported that a 150m extension[9] of the runway would be funded by the Department of Transport up to a limit of €400,000. The airport itself would have to raise the remaining €850,000 for it to take place.
VLM Airlines announced it would terminate its flights to London Luton at short notice by 13 June 2016, leaving Waterford Airport without any scheduled traffic.[10]
In June 2017, after a year without commercial flights, a new airline named Aer Southeast announced three new year round services to London Luton and Manchester and Birmingham.[11] However, due to a licensing issue, these services were never started, and in 2018, the airline shut down.[12][13]
A €12 million plan was announced in June 2019 to extend the airport's runway by 850 metres and revamp the airport. Minister for Transport Shane Ross was to give the airport €5 million once the extended runway was confirmed and ready for service. Local corporations such as Glanbia, Coolmore Stud and Dawn Meats pledged a total of €5 million with €2 million from local authorities. The extended runway would allow medium-sized commercial passenger jet aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to use the airport allowing for commercial use. The airport hopes to attract Ryanair back but for now the company has said it's “no plans for the near future” regarding Waterford.[14][15]
2020s
editOn 4 February 2022, planning permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála for the runway extension and associated works. Construction was set to be completed by the end of 2022.[16]
In August 2022, it was reported that the billionaire Comer brothers agreed a €20 million deal to buy a majority stake in Waterford Airport.[17]
On 1 December 2023, it was reported that Comer Group International, in association with Bolster Group, would invest €12 million into the airport. This investment will nearly cover half of the €25 million total cost. The runway is expected to be extended by 854 metres and widened by 15 metres. The upgraded runway will therefore measure 2,287 metres long and 45 metres wide(bigger than Cork). The goal of this project is to allow for jet aircraft to land at the airport, and "offer the essential direct connectivity to the region".[18]
Facilities
editWaterford Airport has four check-in desks, an information desk, two boarding gates and two baggage carousels. The airport has two hundred car-parking spaces. Free WiFi is available within the airport terminal. There are two snack bars in the airport: one before security and one in the departures hall. There are also car rental services, a taxi service rank, First Aid, Baby/Parent Room, and Disabled Access/Facilities.
Airlines and destinations
editAs of February 2024[update], Waterford Airport has no scheduled commercial passenger flights.
Statistics
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| Year | Passengers [P] | % Change [P] | Movements [M] | % Change [M] | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 24,000 |
 12% |
- |
- |
|
| 2004 | 55,000 |
22% |
- |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2005 | 71,000 |
13% |
- |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2006 | 85,000 |
12% |
23,724 |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2007 | 116,000 |
13% |
30,156 |
21% |
Aer Arann
|
| 2008 | 144,000 |
12% |
29,811 |
 1% |
Aer Arann
|
| 2009 | 112,000[19] |
11% |
19,848 |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2010 | 104,000 |
7% |
17680 |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2011 | 69,942 |
32% |
18,227 |
- |
Aer Arann
|
| 2012 | 78,393 |
12% |
15,053 |
- |
|
| 2013 | 28,168[20] |
63.8% |
11,701 |
- |
Flybe
|
| 2014 | 33,189 |
17.8% |
9301 |
- |
Flybe
|
| 2015 | 34,213 |
3.1% |
11,690 |
- |
VLM Airlines, Flybe
|
| 2016 | 13,511 |
60.6% |
12,508 |
- |
VLM Airlines
|
| 2018 | 11,956
|
||||
| 2019 | 10,761
|
Ground transport
editCar
editThe airport is on the R708 road, which can be accessed from the R710 outer ring road in Waterford. Waterford has a by-pass, and thus the airport can be very easily reached from Dungarvan, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford. After reaching the outer ring road, four major primary routes can be accessed from Waterford: towards New Ross, Dublin, Limerick and Cork.
Other transport connections
editThe nearest bus and coach station is 10 km away in Waterford, from where Bus Éireann provides services to Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Rosslare Europort, Wexford, Clonmel and Tramore. JJ Kavanagh and Sons offers connections to Dublin Airport, Carlow and Tramore as well. Dublin Coach provides a direct service to Dublin via Kilkenny, and to Cork via Dungarvan. There is also a railway station in Waterford; this offers services to Limerick via Clonmel and Tipperary, and to Dublin Heuston via Kilkenny and Carlow.
Accidents and incidents
edit
- On 8 July 1999, a Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin of the Irish Air Corps crashed into the sand dunes near Tramore at 00:40 am UTC +1 after returning from a sea-air rescue mission. The helicopter, Rescue 111, was destroyed by fire and all four crew were killed. The Air Accident Investigation Unit report blamed the lack of an air traffic controller in Waterford at the time; inadequate weather reports; faulty approach lighting to the airport runway; the fact that the Air Corps crew undertook the rescue mission even though they had never flown in similar conditions (and had already completed 15 hours flying that day); and an unnecessary delay at the rescue scene, caused by the use of an inadequate lifeboat although a fully equipped one was available.[21]
References
edit- ^ "Fly Waterford Home". www.flywaterford.com. Waterford Airport. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b EIWF – WATERFORD (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation Authority.
- ^ "Aviation Statistics 2016". Central Statistics Office. 18 April 2017. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "Waterford Airport welcomes capital investment of €27.5 million". Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- ^ [1] Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Waterford Today". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ "No funds for airport runway extension | Munster Express Online". Munster-express.ie. 12 March 2010. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Wade, Jennifer (5 November 2012). "Aer Arann announces termination of Waterford Airport service". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ "Planning Application: 1489 - Waterford City and County Council". ePlanning.ie.
- ^ ch-aviation.com – Belgium's VLM closes Waterford base Archived 8 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine 7 June 2016
- ^ McMahon, Conor (22 June 2017). "After a year without commercial flights, Waterford Airport is to get three new UK services". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ Bodkin, Peter (29 June 2017). "Waterford Airport's new UK service has been told to stop selling flights without a licence". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ McMahon, Conor (4 October 2018). "The company behind Waterford's long-awaited UK flights has shut". TheJournal.ie.
- ^ McGee, Harry; Clarke, Vivienne. "No choice but to keep Waterford Airport open, says Varadkar". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Waterford Airport sets sights on €12m lifeline". Irish Examiner. 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Waterford Airport set for major commercial flights boost". VisitNewRoss. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ "Hopes for airport take-off". Munster Express. 16 August 2022.
- ^ Staines, Michael. "Waterford Airport runway expansion moves one step closer with €12m investment". Newstalk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Waterford Today". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- ^ "Aviation Statistics 2013 - CSO - Central Statistics Office". 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ "Damning report on fatal Tramore helicopter crash". The Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
External links
edit
Media related to Waterford Airport at Wikimedia Commons
