Galway Airport

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Galway Airport Aerphort na Gaillimhe
IATA: GWY – ICAO: EICM GWY Location of airport in Ireland
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Corrib Airport Limited
Serves		Galway
Location		Carnmore
Elevation AMSL		81 ft / 25 m
Coordinates		53°18′01″N 008°56′28″W
Website		www.galwayairport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
08/26	1,289	4,230	Asphalt
Source: Irish AIS

Galway Airport

approach markers at the western end of the runway.

Galway Airport (Irish: Aerphort na Gaillimhe) is located at Carnmore, 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) north of Galway City, County Galway, Ireland and is managed by Corrib Airport Limited. On 31 October 2011 the airport's sole remaining operator Aer Arann ceased commercial operations at the airport. Therefore there are no scheduled services available from the facility at this time.

History

During World War I a landing ground was built for the RAF at nearby Oranmore. It was later used by Aer Arann, a local flying club and private operators. However it remained a grass strip and was virtually unusable in Winter. Ernest Steiner, a German businessman built his own strip opposite his factory at Carnmore. Aer Arann moved in also and commenced operations from there in 1974.

The runway was extended to 1200 metres and completed on the 2nd of March 1987. Although it could accommodate larger aircraft it remained unsuitable for jet airliners and continues to be entirely served by regional turboprop aircraft such as the ATR-42. The first jet arrived at the airport on March 30 from Ohio USA. It was a 12 seater Gulf-Stream II and many more small business jets used the airport. A terminal and runway lighting was completed by June of that year. In January 1988 Aer Lingus re-introduced the Dublin route, in March Ryanair launched a new route to London Luton and later re-routed it to Stansted. The two airlines went into a business war, Ryanair offering cheap flights direct to London and Aer Lingus to Heathrow, Amsterdam and Paris on selected days via Dublin. In 1991 due to business restructuring Ryanair withdrew their London service and Aer Lingus were soon to follow.

In 1994 Aer Arann began the Dublin route supported by the state funded Public Service Obligation scheme. The route operated 3 times daily until state funding was withdrawn in 2011 and the airline ceased services on the route. In September 2001 they launched a service to London Luton and the load factor by 2003 was at 73%. The one millionth passenger passed through the airport in April 2002. The airport was gaining popularity and in 2003 Aer Arann launched two more routes to Manchester and Edinburgh with two further routes to Birmingham and Lorient launched in 2004.

By 2007 Galway was officially the fastest growing airport in Ireland, fast exceeding international airports with passenger growth at 63% per annum at that time. 16 destinations were served directly, Bristol, Cardiff, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, London Luton, Lorient, Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast City, Birmingham, Southampton, Bordeaux, Faro and Malaga. That year saw a record 309,000 passengers use the airport. The 2 millionth passenger also passed through that year. Aer Arann added a sservice to Amsterdam in 2008 which operated via Waterford Airport but was discontinued after a short period. In 2010 Manx2 added two services - Belfast International and Cork. These services were withdrawn in 2011.

Since 2008 numbers and routes have dropped considerably with only Aer Arann routes to Luton, Lorient (seasonal), Manchester and Edinburgh remaining. In March 2011, Aer Arann launched twice daily fllghts to London Southend Airport (Direct four days a week, and via Waterford Airport three days a week).

An additional "Development Fee" of €10 is charged to all departing passengers aged 12 years and over. Manx2 cancelled its seasonal summer service to Belfast City in April 2011.

On 12th October 2011 Aer Arann announced that it was to suspend its services from Galway for the winter season, commencing on 1st of November. This will mean that there are no scheduled services from Galway. Airport Management have stated that the airport will remain open. Galway is the second Irish airport after Sligo Airport to have its scheduled services suspended in 2011.

Government assistance

On 21 February 2007, the Government of Ireland announced that it was providing € 6.3 million in capital grant money for Galway Airport. In 2008 this allocation was reduced by 50-60% as a result of national budget cutbacks.

In June 2011 the Government announced that funding for Galway Airport will cease by December 2011. The airport will close on 31 December if no investor can be found. Currently Galway Airport requires €1.2 million to meet operating costs per year. The Government has stated that the decision was taken to consolidate the four other regional airports which will receive state funding for 2012.

General aviation

The airport caters to general aviation with Galway Flying Club which provides fixed-wing training and Executive Helicopters which provide helicopter charter and training.

Runway length

At 1289 m (4230 ft), the runway is too short to handle most jet airliners and so scheduled services are restricted to turboprop aircraft or small executive jets. As of 2011, the only regional airliner Aer Arann uses ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Ground transportation

The airport is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) by road from Galway city centre. There is minimal public transport, with three daily buses serving the airport. Taxis are available outside the terminal building.

Statistics

See also: List of the busiest airports in Ireland

Passenger in Thousands

Year	Passengers
2001	90,000
2002	106,000
2003	138,000
2004	230,106
2005	252,897
2006	248,972
2007	309,302
2008	266,897
2009	194,158
2010	160,000

Busiest international routes from Galway

Figures for 2009 and 2010

Rank	Origin	2009	2010	Carrier
1	London Luton Airport, England, United Kingdom	69,299	58,464	Aer Arann
2	Manchester Airport, England, United Kingdom	39,393	25,025	Aer Arann
3	Edinburgh International Airport, Scotland, United Kingdom	19,676	16,640	Aer Arann
4	Lorient South Brittany Airport, France	2,232	2,325	Aer Arann

Busiest international routes to and from Galway Airport (2011 Jan-July)

Rank	Airport	Airline	Passengers	% Change 2010 / 11
1	London Airports - Luton & Southend	Aer Arann	25,183	29
2	Manchester Airport	Aer Arann	12,708	23
3	Edinburgh Airport	Aer Arann	7,963	26
4	Lorient South Brittany Airport	Aer Arann	40	97

External links

• Galway Airport
• Galway Flying Club
• Executive Helicopters