Mayor requests urgent meeting with Minister for Transport regarding Waterford Airport

Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr Jason Murphy, has drafted a letter which requests an urgent meeting with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien regarding the future of Waterford Airport.

The letter, which received the full support of Council, requests that funding be allocated for the runway extension as soon as possible.

Mayor Murphy said: “As many of you already know the future of Waterford Airport depends on the runway extension. This extension will allow for the takeoff and landing of higher capacity jets which would in my view secure its future.

“With this in mind, as Mayor of Waterford I have a drafted a letter with the full support of council requesting an urgent meeting with our Minister for Transport in order to put pressure on for much needed funding to be allocated as soon as possible.” 

The letter says: ‘I am writing on behalf of Waterford City and County Council to request an urgent meeting with you and your officials to discuss the government's plans to advance the commitment in the Programme for Government to “work with all stakeholders to quickly progress the Waterford Airport project to lengthen and widen the runway, building on the previous Government decision in 2019.” 

‘This project remains of strategic importance to Waterford and the wider South East region. The Council is firmly of the view that the only commercially viable and sustainable future for Waterford Airport lies in the widening and lengthening of the runway as proposed.

'Over the past number of years, Waterford City and County Council has continued to provide operational funding to the Airport, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to maintain aviation infrastructure in the region while awaiting a final decision by Government on the capital project. 

'A decision on this matter is now urgently required.’