Ryanair challenges airport board

ALAN O’MAHONY (Letters, February 16) highlights Ryanair’s offer to use the old terminal at Cork airport in return for a reduced passenger cost.

Ryanair is indeed willing and able to establish a significant base at Cork airport and develop passenger traffic numbers by up to 50% — or 1.5 million extra passengers per annum over the next five years — if a suitable cost base can be agreed with the Cork Airport Authority (CAA).

Our view is that the airport has an existing facility at zero cost and the only alternative is to let it lie idle and literally gather dust.

To our knowledge there is no “planning issue” which could possibly be raised as an objection to allowing the old terminal to function as it had been doing for 40 years prior to its closure.

Passenger traffic growth at Cork has lagged behind Dublin and Shannon in the last four or five years due to the lack of growth by Ryanair there.

Ryanair is quite prepared to deliver a corresponding level of growth, proportionate to Cork’s size, just as it has already delivered to the other two major airports in this country.

It’s up to the CAA to respond meaningfully to our proposal.

Michael Cawley

Chief Operating Officer

Deputy Chief Executive

Ryanair

Dublin Airport