Waterford Region al Airport has secured a replacement for the British Airways Waterford-London service which is scheduled to end in January. The new service is to be provided by the Euroceltic airline using a 48seat Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft. Initially it will comprise one daily return trip from London, rising to two flights by April.
The airline has said it expects the service to boost tourism and business in the southeast, as it has greater capacity than the current 29-seat aircraft providing a lunchtime service between Waterford and Stansted. Euroceltic plans to provide a second Fokker aircraft for charter from Waterford.
The news is a lifeline for the airport which does not benefit from a Public Service Obligation contract, a device which gives a State subsidy to airlines providing a service within Ireland.
However, according to Dr Cormac McNamara, chairman of Waterford Regional Authority, the airport has concentrated on links to the UK rather than internal flights. But he said that is to change next year when the airport enters a new four-year development plan which will focus on investment in marketing and infrastructure.
Dr McNamara says as the airport will have two daily services from London by April, that will be the time to apply for a Public Service Obligation contract linking the region with Dublin as well as London.
He also says he feels an internal service will be taken up heavily over the next three years as major construction work gets under way on both national routes linking the south-east with Dublin city.
"There is work scheduled for both the coast route [the N11] and the Carlow route for the next three years. It can now take anything between 3 1/2 and five hours to travel to Dublin by car, so it makes sense now to travel by air.
Dr McNamara also revealed that the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, has given approval in principle for an extension of the runway.
"We need to make the runway longer so that craft using the airport can use it more effectively. Craft with a full complement of passengers and luggage need a longer runway to take off than those operating at about 65 per cent capacity," he said.
The announcement was described as a "tremendous fillip" by the cathaoirleach of the South East Regional Authority, Mr Bobby Aylward, who congratulated the airport's board of management on securing the new service.
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