Waterford Airport is set to have its runway extension completed by next year, thanks to €12m in private investment.
The existing runway has been a barrier to attracting airlines due to its short length. The necessary infrastructure will be provided through a partnership between the Bolster Group and the Comer Group.
Almost half of the €30m required to extend the airport’s runway by 850 metres and revamp the airport will come from the Comer brothers’ investment, with the rest expected to be sourced from public funding.
The new runway will be able to accommodate such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s, potentially allowing Waterford Airport to connect with popular European holiday destinations, with London being a likely first destination.
The Bolster Group, a construction and engineering firm, is the current major shareholder driving the airport’s development, while the Comer Group has experience in property deals across Europe.
The investment was welcomed by Minister for Finance Michael McGrath, who highlighted the potential for boosting the region’s economy and making travel more accessible for residents.
Waterford 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.
In 1985, Ryanair launched its first international scheduled service from Waterford to London Gatwick. while the airport has an important place in the history of Europe’s largest airline, Michael O’Leary says that there are too many airports on the island and the future of Waterford can only be sustained if expensive route supports are put in place, especially since the roads to Dublin and Cork were improved. “Good luck to them, but I would not like to be an investor in Waterford airport at the moment,” he said.
Waterford’s 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.
