What each party says about Waterford Airport
Waterford Airport
A key topic on the Waterford election battleground has been that of Waterford Airport.
Whether in support or not, the airport has been a shiny fixture of the election here following a particularly tumultuous past few months for the development.
So which of the major parties who have candidates running in Waterford have voiced official support for a regional airport in the county within their General Election 2024 manifestos?
The Fianna Fáil manifesto states: “If returned to government, Fianna Fáil will continue to engage with stakeholders in relation to the expansion of Waterford Regional Airport.”
The party also pledges to show support to Cork and Shannon and to continue investment in the Regional Airports Programme, supporting Donegal, Kerry and Ireland West (Knock) airports.
Fine Gael outline that they “will continue to progress Waterford Airport by ensuring matching funding for the proposal to lengthen and widen the runway.”
They say that they are "committed to enhancing Ireland’s aviation sector, especially regional airports” and that they will "conduct an urgent review to maximise the use of regional airports including Knock, Shannon, Cork, Donegal and Kerry."
Sinn Féin’s manifesto has no specific mention of Waterford airport contained within.
It does place an emphasis on developing routes to airports other than Dublin Airport, such as Cork, Shannon and Knock to provide a "substantial economic boost in these areas and the surrounding areas."
Their manifesto says, "as an island, air travel is important to our economy and tourism sector."
Labour also make no specific reference to Waterford Airport, however does state that they will work towards the "sustainable development of regional airports, over further concentration in Dublin and reroute air traffic from Dublin airport to Shannon and Cork airports as a matter of priority."
The Social Democrats do make a pledge to Waterford airport, saying: “In government, the Social Democrats will aim to foster a more diverse spread of air traffic into the country, with a focus on utilising unused capacity at regional airports, including Shannon, Cork, Waterford, and Ireland West.”
Also showing support to Waterford Airport is the Green Party, stating within their manifesto: “We will seek to develop Shannon as the lowest carbon landing place for aviation between North America and Europe and continue to engage with Waterford Airport Board and relevant stakeholders towards further strengthening and future-proofing the business case for the airport’s development.”
Aontú says it will "prioritise the opening of Waterford airport to an international carrier."
They also say they will increase the passenger cap on Dublin and invest in Shannon, Cork and Knock airports.
The only mention to airports within the PBP manifesto is their desire to close Shannon airport to US troops and stop "the use of Irish air space to facilitate genocide."
