No funding for Waterford Airport project amid claims policy is 'paralysed'
'The government has just approved €99m in funding for the horseracing and greyhound industries while Waterford cannot even get a measly €12.5m investment'
Labour candidate for Waterford, Sadhbh O’ Neill described the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party policy on aviation as “paralysed” amid a lack of funding for Waterford Airport.
With an extensive thread on X she queried why Waterford Regional Airport was not included in the government’s 2021-2025 Regional Airports Strategy, and why Dublin airport has been allowed to grow in terms of its environmental and climate impact.
O’ Neill stated: “The government has just approved €99m in funding for the horseracing and greyhound industries while Waterford cannot even get a measly €12.5m investment from the state for a project that would serve over 600,000 people in the South East.
She continued: “It is clearly not a question of climate policy, as the aviation sector is not covered by the carbon budgets or sectoral emission ceilings. Meanwhile Dublin Airport is the single largest emitter of Carbon in the entire country at over 2.8m tCO2 per annum!”
“Waterford airport is the issue that comes up most frequently when canvassing. People just can't understand how with FF and FG in government, and FG in government for the past 14 years this small project cannot get over the line. People see it as proof that Waterford has been overlooked in national policy and of poor public representation over the years.”
"My view as the Labour candidate for Waterford in the forthcoming General Election is as follows: the government must commit the €12.5m immediately so that the private and local authority funding commitments can be secured.
"The government must commit the €12.5m immediately so that the private and local authority funding commitments can be secured.
"Funding the runway extension need not be inconsistent with climate policy. And remember the airport and runway is already there - the funding is to enable jet aircraft to use the airport.
"Waterford airport is small! With likely UK/ Europe services only and no long-haul (high CO2) flights
"Climate policy should apply carbon budgeting fairly to all airports in the aviation sector (at the moment aviation is excluded)
"At its absolute theoretical max passenger throughput (400k/pa), Waterford would have less than 1% of current Dublin Airport capacity
"The climate, noise, air, and traffic impacts of Dublin Airport are a growing environmental problem and should be addressed by maintaining the passenger cap and using that as a tool for GHG management in aviation policy
"As a regional airport for the South East Waterford can play an important role in economic development and in providing connectivity without adding to Dublin's congestion and pollution."