Cork Airport and Covid-19: Charting a course through uncertain times

With its new runway in place, Cork Airport is "full steam ahead" to rise again from its Covid hit with strategies in place for if the pandemic continues, writes Eoin English.

At the official opening of the newly reconstructed main runway at Cork Airport in November are (left to right): Cllr John Sheehan, deputising for the Lord Mayor of Cork; Bishop Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork & Ross; Bishop Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross, Church of Ireland; Basil Geoghegan, daa Chairman; Taoiseach Micheál Martin; Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport; Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport; Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform; Dalton Philips, daa Group CEO; Cllr Seamus McGrath, deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork; Gearoid Lohan, CEO, Colas Ireland Limited. Photo: Brian Lougheed

IF YOU compared his professional life over the last two years to a plane journey, it could well be described as a flight from hell.

Brian Gallagher enjoyed a smooth takeoff and a steady climb when he joined Cork Airport as its head of aviation and commercial business development in 2018 just as passenger numbers were rising after a decade of decline. There was strong passenger growth that year, running at around 8%, which saw the airport hit the 2.6m passenger mark.