Cork Airport traffic drops with further 3% fall predicted

Figures released by the Irish Aviation Authority have revealed that while commercial terminal traffic for Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports for the period January to November 2014 was up by 6.2%, Cork Airport’s standalone figures are dropping compared to last year.

IAA chief executive Eamonn Brennan said June 24 was the busiest day of the year for the IAA, when it handled 1,955 flights in one day alone.

“Air traffic is a great yardstick of the strength of the Irish and international economy. Our key air traffic markets on the north Atlantic, to and from Europe and Ireland itself are all expected to show growth this year, with further improved gains forecasted for 2015.

“This is reflecting improved economic performance in Ireland, north America and parts of Europe, as well as the continued growth of low-cost carriers,” he said.

“I am particularly pleased with the improvements at Dublin and Shannon, thanks to the work of the DAA and Shannon Airport Group to bring in new routes and new airlines.

“Dublin looks set to grow about 6% this year, handling an average of 481 commercial flights each day, while Shannon will record an impressive increase of about 20% this year, with 60 flights per day. Cork unfortunately is reversing the trend, and will see a drop of over 3% this year; something we’d dearly like to see change for the better,” he said.

In reference to international arrivals and departures, the commercial terminal traffic for Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports was up 7.8% in November 2014 when compared to November 2013. Dublin is up 9.5% with an average of 447 daily commercial movements. Shannon is up 7.5% with an average of 47 daily commercial movements.

However, the IAA said Cork Airport is down 7.1%, with an average of 45 daily commercial movements.

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, has added 1,300 extra seats on a number of popular routes to meet demand over the Christmas.

The additional seats, across nine routes, will be made available from December 20 to 3 January and are split between Aer Lingus Regional services to and from Dublin and Cork Airports. The airline has added seats on flights from Dublin Airport to Aberdeen and Bristol, and from Cork Airport to Glasgow and Newcastle to meet demand.

Aer Lingus Regional aims to carry over 50,000 passengers from December 21 to January 5, a rise of 5% on Christmas 2013, due to popular new routes from Dublin to Leeds and Newcastle.

“The festive season is the busiest time of the year for travel and we’re seeing a notable rise in passenger bookings,” said Simon Fagan, chief commercial officer at Stobart Air.