Knock Airport continues to break records

Knock Airport continues to break records


Airport sees 20 percent rise in traffic, but new Shannon Group plc poses stiff competition

Anton McNulty

IRELAND West Airport Knock reached another major milestone in its history when a record 100,000-plus passengers passed through the terminal in August. However, the airport faces stiff competition following the creation of Shannon Group plc.
A total of 102,774 air passengers passed through the Knock terminal in August 2014 – a 20 percent increase on passenger numbers in August 2013. Also it is the first time in the airport’s 28-year history that over 100,000 passengers used the airport in a single calendar month.
July 2014 was also a bumper month, with 91,028 passengers passing through the terminal, an increase of 18 percent on July 2013.
Ireland West Airport is on track to record its busiest year ever, with passenger numbers expected to reach 700,000 for the first time. The airport now serves 25 international destinations and is served by four of Europe’s biggest airlines – Flybe, Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Germanwings.
Commenting on the record numbers, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director of Ireland West Airport, said he was delighted and he thanked the airport staff for their hard work.
“We are delighted to have recorded our busiest month in the airport’s history for the second consecutive month. It’s a very proud milestone to reach 100,000 passengers in a month, and milestones like this demonstrate that passengers are increasingly choosing the convenience of flying from their regional airport when the flights and holidays they want become available,” he said, adding that it also proved that the airport was attractive to overseas visitors ‘who want to fly directly into the heart of the West of Ireland’.
August traffic to and from the UK was up 21 percent on August 2013, while passenger traffic to and from continental Europe increased by 16 percent, which Gilmore says highlights the airport’s importance as the main Western gateway for the Wild Atlantic Way and the West and North West of Ireland.

Competition
While the latest figures are heartening for Ireland West Airport, the airport faces competition in that area from Shannon Airport, which is part of the newly established Shannon Group plc. The group is a semi-state company established by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe with the aim of being a ‘key conduit for growth across the West of Ireland and beyond’.
“The Shannon Group plc is a dynamic commercial semi-state company with a very significant role in stimulating growth across the wider region. The group has a wide footprint, with Shannon Airport serving a region that stretches from Cork right up to the North West, and in that regard has both regional and national significance,” said the Shannon Group Chairperson, Rose Hynes.