The former chairman of Cork Airport Authority (CAA), Joe Gantly, has died aged 53.
Mr Gantly, who was also Apple Computer's managing director of European operations for six years before taking over at the CAA, only stepped down as president of the Cork Chamber of Commerce at its Annual General Meeting last Monday.
The new president of the Chambers of Commerce, Ger O'Mahoney, today expressed shock and sadness at the death of Mr Gantly.
"Joe Gantly was a Dublin man born and bred. He came to Cork and he adopted Cork, and Cork adopted him. He made an immense contribution to this city and region and his death at the age of just 53 robs us all of an extraordinary talent and commitment which enriched Cork, and this Chamber which he served as president for the past two years".
Mr Gantly presided over Cork Airport Authority from 2003 until last July. Mr Gantly announced his resignation as chariman of the organisation shortly after his casting vote saw the CAA board accept a €113 million debt on its new terminal building in order to gain independence from the DAA, a move which was met with opposition given that the CAA was originally promised a debt-free separation from Dublin.
During the time he served as chairman of CAA, traffic at the airport grew from 2 .1 million passengers to 3.1 million passengers in 2007.
