Waterford Airport €12m grant for runway extension approved

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A long-awaited runway extension for Waterford Airport has been approved by An Bord Pleanála.

It will allow a 900m runway extension and a widening of the runway, costing at least €12m, which campaigners and business groups hope will attract commercial carriers for the airport as it will allow it to take larger aircraft.

In An Bord Pleanála’s approval letter, which has been seen by this website, it said the proposal would have a negible impact on climate and sought a detailed traffic plan from Waterford City and County Council for the works. The development will involve an extension of the existing 1,433-metre-long runway by 491m at its northern end and 363m at its southern end, resulting in a total runway length of 2,287m. It will also be widened by 30m in width to 45m.

Fine Gael senator John Cummins, who is a former member of the airport board, said it is a critical piece of infrastructure for the South East region. “It makes the possibility of securing routes for the airport far more likely into the future than what was the case heretofore”, Cummins said.

He added: “For too long the runway has been an impediment to the growth of the airport. The types of aircraft that were able to land at the runway were restricted, so the planning application that has been approved will facilitate the landing of the main aircrafts of choice for major airlines.”