FINE Gael’s Cllr Noel O’Donovan says this week that getting flights to the US back on the runway at Cork Airport will be a top priority for him if he’s elected to the Dáil later this month. Now that might sound like a clichéd election promise, and there is certainly no doubt that it’s one that is bound to be popular with most people.
However, the backlash that the airlines have been experiencing since campaigning to have the passenger cap at Dublin Airport lifted, may yet be vocalised by those wondering at the necessity of an expansion of Cork at a time when we can see the effects of climate change, spurred by carbon emissions, all around us.
Those most likely to object to this grand plan are those who feel it’s time we started to cap passengers at all our airports, and not just in our capital. There’s no doubt that amongst those campaigning for passenger caps at Dublin Airport are residents living in the vicinity of the Swords runways.
Anyone travelling in or out of the capital city’s airport will know the constant noise and air pollution that surrounds the site which, is itself, surrounded by thousands of homes.
While Cork Airport is also surrounded by many housing estates on the west side of the city, its elevated site means noise is not as much of an issue for as many people. And the fact that there is only a fraction of Dublin’s aircraft take-offs and landings occurring at its sister airport in Cork means that the question of noise is not as big an issue on the south coast – yet.
But with pressure increasingly being heaped on an ever-busier Dublin, the potential of Cork to reduce some of that pressure, is a carrot too tasty to ignore for many looking for solutions to the contentious cap. There is no doubt that Cork Airport has plenty more capacity. Anyone taking a summer sun or winter weekend trip in the past few months will have enjoyed a quick entry and exit process and very little time spent queueing for customs or passport control.
The accessibility of the car park is also a major draw – as is the site’s relatively quick proximity to the city centre.
Norwegian may have cited poor passenger numbers at the time it opted to pull its Boston service in 2019 from Cork, but the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max at the time was another contributory factor.
Then along came Covid, and the whole airline industry was flung into chaos.
While it has recovered faster than many expected, the popularity of short-haul trips from Ireland to the US, often for shopping expeditions, which had been a huge market prior to the pandemic, never really returned.
And so while a ‘Bring Back US Flights’ carrion cry may seem like an obvious vote-getter, there are plenty more factors to consider now, in a post-pandemic world – like, is the market really there? Does Cork really want rapid expansion? What will be the effect on the environment and our carbon emissions by more flights?
In short, will Cllr O’Donovan’s plan ‘fly’ with the electorate? Only time will tell.
US election results are in
VOTERS in the US are bound to be breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that the very divisive campaigning is over for now.
Whatever side you are on, the fact that it’s all over – including the shouting – means that the country can at least drive ahead now, knowing who is in charge for the next four years.
While many Irish voters have a leaning towards the Democrats, given our history and genealogical links with both JFK and Biden, the fact that the Republicans have won out on this occasion at least means that there should be no long-drawn-out querying of results this time around.
Our own Taoiseach, Simon Harris, has offered his congratulations to president-elect Trump, knowing that a friendly relationship between both countries is in our interest, given the huge number of American firms based here.
Of course the future of Europe itself is also in the balance, given Trump’s cosying-up to Russia in the past. As the saying goes, it really is all to play for now.
