Cork Airport upgrade ahead of schedule as passengers pass 2m mark

CORK International Airport handled an extra 308,000 passengers last year, bringing to 2.18 million the number of people who passed through its terminal.

The 17% increase in passenger numbers over 2002 was aided by the opening of 11 new scheduled flights from Cork to Alicante, Barcelona, Belfast, Jersey, Liverpool, London City, Milan, Nantes, Nice, Prague and Rome.

CSA Czech Airlines also commenced direct services into Prague while LTE, a Spanish airline, flew 296 sun charters over the summer months out of Cork.

Airport marketing manager John Smyth said 52 sun charters per week operated during the summer months, including new services to Fuertaventura, Salzburg, Verona, and Zakynthos.

Meanwhile, Cork-based company Jetmagic commenced operations and BMI baby introduced new services from Cardiff and Manchester.

“Aircraft commercial movements were up 37% in and out of Cork while incoming tourism from Britain rose by 40% and by 25% from Europe,” Mr Smyth said.

Airport director Joe O’Connor said he was delighted to see Cork break the 2 million passenger mark.

“This was a great year for Cork Airport and a credit to all the staff for these record achievements. “We had an exciting and challenging year with very fruitful results,” Mr O’Connor said.

On average the airport handled an extra 6,000 passengers per week and according to a University College Cork economics study this increase could have created an extra 770 jobs in the tourism sector.

Passenger growth is expected to be just as high next year and in order to cater for predicted increases in the years ahead construction has begun on a 140 million upgrade of airport facilities.

It is hoped that new services to Germany and to additional regional airports in England will be announced this year.

Construction on the new terminal, control tower and fire station has begun and is ahead of schedule.

The expected completion date for the entire project is October 2005.