Naughton defends Cork Airport autumn closure for runway works
The main runway at Cork Airport, the second-busiest in the country that is set for significant resurfacing work.
A government minister has defended Cork Airport’s 10-week closure for its main runway rebuild as the €40m construction contract was awarded today.
Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, sought the department’s approval last November of some €10m in funding towards the work — a fast-tracked project which was originally earmarked for 2022 — and which was scheduled to take nine months to complete.
This will be the fastest large-scale construction project undertaken in the state in recent years — taking just 12 months from funding approval to the completion of the main works, including all of the EU tendering, design, and regulatory approvals, as well as construction, she said.
“It’s better to do it over 10-weeks, it’s much more cost-effective and it will be ready for the busy Christmas period and will allow the airport to grow again in an unconstrained manner,” she said.
She was speaking as Cork Airport confirmed that the main construction contract for the main runway rebuild has been awarded to Colas Limited, part of the International Colas Group.
The project will involve the full reconstruction of the main runway and the replacement of the airfield electrical systems, ducts, and pits. It will support around 250 construction and supply jobs.
Preparatory work will start immediately and will continue nightly without affecting airport operations, until the airport closes from September 13 for the main construction works which will be done 24/7 for 10-weeks.
The new runway will be completed by November 22.
Ms Naughton confirmed that international travel is on course to resume from July 19 and defended the decision to close the airport for the runway work just as aviation is recovering.
She said the government has made some €20m in funding available for Dublin, Cork, and Shannon airports to help them engage with airlines on new routes and incentives as they seek to rebuild their networks which were decimated during Covid.
And she said following extensive engagement with various airlines, the government could not have done more to support airline staff who are facing lay-offs as a result of the work.
The rehiring of the affected staff is a commercial matter for the airlines, she said.
The airport’s managing director, Niall MacCarthy, said the runway project will be the largest construction project to be undertaken at Cork Airport since the building of the new terminal 15 years ago and will help position it for recovery post Covid-19.
“These works are necessary to ensure that the main runway continues to meet and exceed strict national and international regulations governing the operation and specification of runways at major airports and position us well for the future,” Mr McCarthy said.
Colas Ireland’s CEO, Gearoid Lohan, said the work will involve 3,000 truckloads of asphalt, 500 maintenance hole pits to be built, 140kms of electrical cable, and 60kms of cable duct and drains to be laid.
“This is a major project, which has a time-sensitive duration, and is essential to the economy of the south of Ireland,” he said.
Fine Gael Senator, Jerry Buttimer, a member of the Oireachtas transport committee, said the new runway will sustain the airport's operations for decades.
The main runway handles more than 22,000 commercial aircraft movements and thousands of smaller aircraft movements annually.
Before Covid-19, Cork Airport served 57 scheduled routes with nine airlines, handling 2.6m passengers in 2019 — up 8% on the previous year.
It was the fastest-growing airport on the island of Ireland.
Today, it is serving 15 routes, at much-reduced frequency, operated by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, KLM, Lufthansa, SWISS and Air France.
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