Minister Butler defends government airport record 

Waterford Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler welcomed the proposed sale of Waterford Airport to an anonymous investor, while pushing back on claims the government ‘failed’ the airport.

“I’m happy with the progress that’s after being made…I was keeping a very close eye on the local authority meeting last week,” Minister Butler said while speaking on Déise Today on WLR FM.

Minister Butler said she had become “extremely frustrated” with the Department of Transport as Waterford Airport continually lobbied for government funding to expand its runway and attract commercial airlines.

No commercial airline has flown from Waterford since 2016.

In November 2023, The Comer Group pledged to invest in Waterford Airport alongside majority shareholder the Bolster Group on the condition that the government would match investment.

The programme for government pledged “to quickly progress the Waterford Airport project to lengthen and widen the runway”, but in July, the Department of Transport requested an additional business case for the runway extension.

Critics decried the move as government stalling.

Butler said the government’s decision not to invest in the airport “wasn’t for a want of trying”.

“The local authority were a very small shareholder (in the airport), it was a private company, and there were a lot of questions being asked in relation to that,” she said.

“It’s frustrating and it's annoying…I’m a minister, and this is my sixth year in the Department of Health. That’s the frustrating part of trying to deliver, and the length of time it takes to wait to deliver big infrastructural projects. 

“We were struggling to get it over the line, myself and John Cummins worked very closely together… we got into the programme for government, but time was slipping.

“I believe they think we have enough airports in Ireland.”

With no further government action taking place, talks advanced between the airport and an anonymous investor pledging to invest €30 million in the expansion of Waterford Airport.

A special plenary council meeting held in October passed three resolutions that cleared the path for the anonymous investor’s takeover.

“I am pleased that Willie Bolster secured this huge investment for Waterford. I’m pleased that the councillors, led by the Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council, decided that we needed an airport,” Minister Butler continued.

“It’s a phenomenal investment.”