Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary urged to meet with management at Waterford Airport

Calls have been made for Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary to meet with management at Waterford airport with a view to establishing a hub there.

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections, has said the South East needs its regional airport reopened and has called on her Green Party colleagues in Government to stop standing in the way of an operational Waterford Airport.

In a statement, she says she has written to Michael O’Leary urging him to sit down with management of Waterford Airport.

According to the Fianna Fail candidate, small and regional airports like Waterford take the pressure off the larger hub airports like Dublin. 

“A functioning airport in Waterford would drive tourism and foreign direct investment into the South East and increase general connectivity. Waterford airport should be a pillar of the EU´s growth and Jobs Strategy. The EU Commission has approved the Government’s regional airports’ programme which has seen recent funding announcements for airports like Kerry and Donegal but nothing for Waterford as of yet. I am concerned that Waterford airport is being ignored on ideological grounds,” she said.

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“Some will make the argument that Waterford Airport is loss making. To them, I say that 44% of Europe's Airports are loss making whilst 75% of airports with less than 1 million passengers per year are loss making. We must not allow them to wither as they are significant pieces of infrastructure that create jobs, increase connectivity and drive investment.”

Ms Ní Mhurchú has highlighted the fact that in the US, the airport industry benefits from more than $3 billion of direct public funding every year. In addition, security costs are publicly financed. She described the potential economic benefits of an airport in Waterford to the South East. 

"For every 10,000 passengers that are brought through an airport, it has been shown to create 12 full time local jobs and numerous other indirect jobs. It is time to step up and fight for the reopening of Waterford airport. If people and goods are travelling by road to fly from Dublin anyways, it makes little sense allowing the grass to grow on Waterford airport whilst we await a decision from a Green Party leader who is ideologically opposed to the idea of an airport in the South East.” 

Voting in the European Parliament elections takes place between 7am and 10pm on Friday, June 7.