Landing system at Knock defeating fog

THE NEW landing system at Ireland West Airport in Knock, Co Mayo, is proving successful in overcoming the problem of frequent fog which previously disrupted flights, according to airport management.

No flight has been diverted due to fog since the CAT II instrument landing system went “live” last April, the airport claims.

The major benefit of CAT II’s implementation is to enhance the precision of aircraft approaches, bringing planes down to 100ft above the runway, greatly reducing the possibility of diversions caused by poor weather and low-visibility.

The new system does not mean planes can land on instrumentation alone, but it puts the airport “almost on a par with Cork and Shannon”.

The new system has already been a boost to the airport’s daily operations in terms of reliability, and it is expected the system will be particularly useful in winter.

In addition to the new CAT II, a major upgrade to the runway has recently been completed.

This extends the existing runway end safety area and increases the aircraft turning circle. Both projects had a combined investment of €3.6 million.

Scheduled flights from Ireland West now serve Dublin and Cork, as well as nine destinations in the UK, including London Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. A scheduled service also serves Alicante in Spain.

Charter services on the airport website include 10 locations from Portugal to eastern Europe.

Commenting on the benefits of CAT II, Joe Gilmore, airport managing director, said: “This new system will greatly aid the airport in its plan to add new services to the UK and Europe for the people of the west, northwest and midlands regions of Ireland.”