Paul Hosford: Cork cannot afford Ryanair's brinkmanship

For businesses and tourism to grow in Cork and the wider region, an airport that has connectivity to the rest of Europe and at least one major North American hub is vital.

Are you going anywhere nice and warm on your holidays?

While you probably won't be asked it for the next few weeks, when you can next get a trim, the answer for most of us will likely be: yes nice, probably not warm as another summer of staycations looms.

The most pragmatic among us accept that international travel is not likely to be a runner en masse this summer, which makes DAA's decision to undertake a major runway replacement at Cork Airport eminently reasonable. Under the plan, the airport will close at around 9pm and reopen at 6am while the multi-million euro project is carried out.

However, Ryanair is said to have told pilots that this will jeopardise its plan to reopen its base at the airport for this summer. Late-night flights in and out being a cornerstone of summer getaways, it is a fair concern, but it's an early sabre to rattle.

Taking opportunities 

For its part Cork Airport, which planned to undertake the works next year but is taking advantage (for want of a better phrase) of the lower numbers, knows that there isn't a good time for an airport to overhaul its most important asset.

A spokesperson said: "There is never a good time to undertake runway works on this scale but in a year when traffic volumes are likely to be significantly down again on 2019 levels and with ongoing lockdowns in the UK and Ireland curtailing air traffic further, we are availing of this opportunity to do the works now.

"Public procurement commenced back in November in accordance with EU procurement guidelines for a project of this scale and we plan to be in a position to award the contract in April following all planning approvals for the electrical substation. This work is being part-funded by Government and carrying out the reconstruction at this time will result in a lower overall cost, which benefits airlines and passengers."

Ryanair's warning is not its first, however, about the status of the base at Cork, which it shut in October due to a largely non-existent travel sector over the winter months. In December, its CEO Eddie Wilson said that the airline needed incentives to house planes in Cork.

“Without recovery incentives, passenger capacity at Dublin will fall and Cork as a Ryanair base may not re-open for summer 2021,” Mr Wilson said.

Corporate brinksmanship

So what is left is corporate brinksmanship as Ryanair weighs up its own plans across the continent for a second summer set to be decimated by Covid despite the vaccines riding to the rescue. This will impact its business and it, like all businesses, will ask for supports in order to see itself through. That does not make Ryanair unique - all businesses impacted by public health measures have asked for - and many have received - support.

However, it is the kind of brinksmanship that the region can scarcely afford. Cork Airport is a massive asset to the wider region and pre-Covid had seen passenger figures in 2019 grow to 2.6 million, numbers not seen since 2009.

For businesses and tourism to grow in Cork and the wider region, an airport that has connectivity to the rest of Europe and at least one major North American hub is vital.

Whether this latest sounding is just Ryanair being Ryanair or is a genuine threat, everyone in the region will hope that cooler heads prevail. For days when places nice and warm aren't so far away.