Cork Airport in direct competition with Shannon as new passengers on radar 

Kerry, Waterford, and Tipperary now key markets for Cork

Taoiseach Micheál Martin with DAA chief executive Kenny Jacops and Cork Airport managing director Niall MacCarthy at the launch of the €200m capital development plan. Picture: David Creedon

Attracting passenger traffic from outside the county is crucial to the future of Cork Airport to reach ambitious plans to reach 5m passengers, with Ireland’s southern air gateway now in direct competition with Shannon for business, managing director Niall MacCarthy said.

The airport attracted 3.1m passengers in 2024 and is predicting growth to 3.4m passengers this year, with plans to grow to 5m. Cork Airport is now pushing beyond its traditional customer base, Mr MacCarthy said, with high volumes coming from Kerry, Waterford, and south Tipperary crucial revenue streams. “Cork could not support an airport on its own. If we were just a one-county airport, we’ll forever be small,” Mr MacCarthy said.