Demand to axe €100m Cork airport debt

Scrapping Cork Airport’s €100m debt will have to be considered as part of a package of measures to restore its competitiveness, the Government has been told.

Senior management outlined the challenges facing the country’s second largest airport during a meeting with Paschal Donohoe, the transport minister, yesterday.

The airport has seen its traffic fall by 5%, or about 77,000 passengers, so far this year. Aer Lingus axed the Cork Brussels route two weeks ago, and Ryanair’s transfer of routes to a debt-free and independent Shannon Airport has resulted in the loss of around 160,000 passengers.