Ryanair marks 40 years since first flight took off from Waterford Airport

Tuesday, July 8, 2025, marked 40 years since the first ever Ryanair flight. The flight took off from Waterford Airport bound for London Gatwick on Monday, July 8, 1985.

The plane was a 15-seat Brazilian-made Bandeirante aircraft. Bookings in the first week exceeded the expected level by 40 per cent, but over the next several years, the airline’s losses mounted before fortunes eventually turned around.

In a last-ditch effort to stave off closure, the airline halved fares across the Irish Sea. 

The airline carried 5,000 people in its first year and now passengers embark Ryanair flights every 13 minutes.

Sean Power of Harvey Travel on Gladstone Street in Waterford told WLRFM that local people were delighted to see the new service in operation: "It was unbelievable. Instead of having to travel to Dublin, when the roads were totally different from what they are now, people were absolutely delighted to see a service out of Waterford.

"People were also apprehensive about what type of aircraft it was and how long the flight would take. But when people heard there were lots of bookings, it drove even more people to book."

Mr Power explained that the flight was especially convenient for the local business community: "We were able to make contact with people in the UK and talk to them about inbound traffic into Waterford, building a package of a flight into Waterford and a hotel in the area."

In 1982, Waterford’s new multi-million airport was granted a licence for international flights by the then Department of Transport, and Power sanctioned a licence for international flights.

In 2025, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary cast doubt on the airline returning to Waterford when he said that “local lunatics who are determined to get a government grant to build a jet runway”. 

The Department of Transport recently requested a second business case in relation to government support for an extended runway at the airport.