Irish Examiner view: ‘Symbolic’ airport needs aid package

Cork Airport marks the 59th anniversary of its opening in 1961. File picture. 

There is a cruel irony to the timing of the announcement that Ryanair is to close its bases at Shannon and Cork airports, returning connectivity to 1960s levels. It comes just as Cork International Airport marks the 59th anniversary of its opening  in 1961.

This newspaper celebrated the occasion with fanfare, trumpeting the city’s ‘SYMBOLIC AIRPORT’ in bold capital letters across the front page. Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Seán Lemass was triumphant. “This new airport in Cork symbolises our purpose and will help us in our desire to have the world see us as a modern progressive state.”