Ireland West Airport Knock

Ireland West Airport Knock Aerfort Iarthar Éireann
IATA: NOC – ICAO: EIKN NOC Location of airport in Ireland
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner/Operator		Connacht Airport Development Company Ltd
Serves		Connacht, Ireland
Location		Charlestown
Elevation AMSL		665 ft / 203 m
Coordinates		53°54′37″N 008°49′07″W
Website		www.irelandwestairport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
09/27	2,340	7,700	Asphalt
Source: Irish AIS

Ireland West Airport Knock (Irish: Aerfort Iarthar Éireann) is an airport located 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. 654,553 passengers used the airport in 2011. The airport was formerly known as Knock International Airport, Connacht Regional Airport, and Horan International Airport. Connaught Aero Club and Shoreline Aviation are based at the airport.

History

The airport was officially opened on 30 May 1986, however the first commercial flights operated seven months earlier on 25 October 1985 in the form of three Aer Lingus charter flights to Rome. The opening followed a long campaign by Monsignor James Horan. The airport was intended to bring employment to an impoverished corner of Ireland, as well as allow pilgrims to visit the nearby Roman Catholic Knock Shrine which commemorates an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1879.

A bmibaby Boeing 737-300 lands from Manchester in Knock

Ryanair commenced flights to London Luton during 1986, with a route to London Stansted added in 1992. By 1988, over 100,000 passengers had passed through the airport. In 1995 Aer Lingus commenced flights to Birmingham.

In June 2003 hundreds of people gathered at Knock International Airport to view a Boeing 747 land with 500 returning pilgrims from Lourdes. It was the second 747 to land at Knock.^{[citation needed]}

Recent years

Since 2003 flag-carrier, low-cost and regional airlines including Aer Lingus, MyTravelLite, Bmibaby, Ryanair, Aer Arann, flybe, Lufthansa and EasyJet have added several routes linking the airport with UK and European mainland destinations and though not all routes have proven successful, by 2005 the airport was handling 500,000 passengers per annum.

Knock was voted Ireland's best regional airport in 2006 and again in 2009 by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.

2007 was a notable year for the airport, with scheduled transatlantic services to New York and Boston commencing during May 2007, operated by the now defunct airline Flyglobespan.

In 2008 a record 629,000 passengers used the airport, a 13% rise compared to the previous year.

The installation of the Category II Instrument Landing System in April 2009 has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of flight diversions to other airports due to poor visibility conditions, a problem which had affected the airport since its opening due to its location 200 metres above sea level.

In recent years Ryanair has grown operations and is the largest airline to serve the airport with 14 scheduled routes. Ryanair commenced a service to Alicante in June 2009, the airport's first scheduled continental European service. Ryanair added Faro and Reus (Barcelona) routes in May 2010.

August 2009 was the busiest month at the airport for three years, with 81,000 passengers using the airport. Also, the 28th of August was the busiest day in the airport's history with over 4,500 passengers using the facility on that day.

In 2011, the month of August was the busiest in the airport's history with 84,052 passengers using the facility. 2011 was the most successful year to date with a record 654,553 passengers using the airport. The year saw the commencement of new scheduled sun routes to Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria operated by Ryanair as well as a new route to Edinburgh operated by flybe.

During September 2011 Ryanair celebrated the airline's 4 millionth passenger through the airport while Lufthansa announced it would be commencing weekly flights between Düsseldorf and Knock from May 2012.

In November 2011 Ryanair announced further expansion from the airport with flights to Paris Beauvais, Frankfurt Hahn, Milan Bergamo and Barcelona Girona airports scheduled to commence in March 2012. In January 2012 news of the 20th scheduled route from the airport was announced with flybe adding a service to Leeds, their third from the airport, also scheduled to commence in March 2012.

Government assistance

On 21 February 2007, the Government of Ireland announced that it was giving €27 million of capital grant money to Ireland West Airport.

The Airport stated that it would continue the implementation of its €46 million infrastructural investment programme with over €20 million of spend anticipated for 2008. Work commenced on a number of significant civil and building projects in this year. A €5.5 million extension to the terminal building was completed in April 2009. A extension to the apron which will see this more than double in size has commenced. The implementation of Category II Instrument Landing System (CAT II ILS) on runway 27, to enhance the reliability of the Airport in low visibility conditions, has been completed and approved. An extension to the Runway Ends Safety Areas (RESAs) and runway turnpad was completed in 2008.

An additional "Development Fee" of €10 is charged to all departing passengers aged 12 years and over.

In 2005 the airport changed its name to Ireland West Airport Knock. As of August 2009 the Aeronautical Information Publication, including the aeronautical charts available at European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, show as Ireland West.

Airlines and destinations

Note: † denotes charter airlines and their destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Aer Lingus	London-Gatwick
Air Europa †	Seasonal: Lanzarote
Bmibaby	Birmingham
Flybe	Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds/Bradford [begins 27 March 2012]
Flybe operated by Loganair †	Sumburgh
Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings	Seasonal: Düsseldorf [begins 12 May 2012]
Onur Air †	Seasonal: İzmir [begins 16 September 2012]
Ryanair	East Midlands, Frankfurt-Hahn [begins 27 March 2012], Lanzarote, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Paris-Beauvais [begins 27 March 2012], Tenerife-South Seasonal: Alicante, Bristol, Faro, Girona [begins 27 March 2012], Gran Canaria, Milan-Bergamo [begins 25 March 2012]

Ground transport

Bus

Bus Éireann currently provide services from the Airport on the Derry-Sligo-Galway and Galway-Sligo-Derry Route 64, Ireland West Airport Knock - Castlebar - Westport - Achill Island route 440, Dublin - Athlone - Ireland West Airport Knock - Westport route 21, and connects with Dublin - Mullingar - Longford - Ballina route 22 via Charlestown.

Taxi

The airport is also served by taxis. There is a taxi rank located outside the arrivals/departures entrance. To pre-book see www.knockairporttaxis.com.

Road

Ireland West Airport Knock is conveniently located on the main N17 North – South road, halfway between Galway and Sligo. It is also close to the junction of the East - West N5 Westport-Castlebar-Longford road.

Train

The nearest railway station to Ireland West Airport Knock is Ballyhaunis, accessible by airport cabs or bus services.

Car Hire

Car hire is available in the main concourse - terminal building, with eight car rental firms located at the airport.

Car Parking

The airport has over 1,500 accessible car parking spaces for short-term and long-term parking outside the main terminal.

Passenger statistics

See also: List of the busiest airports in Ireland

Passenger numbers by year

Year	Passengers	Rank in Ireland	Rank in Republic of Ireland
1987	55,000
1988	117,000
1989	145,000
1990	146,000
1991	101,000
1992	106,000
1993	108,000
1994	130,000
1995	137,912
1996	161,435
1997	172,070
1998	186,689
1999	197,358
2000	173,421
2001	203,000
2002	199,000
2003	247,000
2004	373,000
2005	530,084	6	4
2006	621,171	6	4
2007	556,357	6	4
2008	629,000	6	4
2009	607,228	6	4
2010	589,180	6	4
2011	654,553	6	4

Busiest routes

Busiest routes to and from Ireland West Airport Knock (2010)

Rank	Airport	Airline	Passengers
1	London Stansted	Ryanair	98,760
2	London Luton	Ryanair	73,929
3	London Gatwick	Aer Lingus	67,506
4	Liverpool	Ryanair	61,259
5	Manchester	bmibaby	47,885
6	East Midlands	Ryanair	43,074
7	Birmingham	bmibaby	41,934
8	Faro	Ryanair / Charter	35,699
9	Bristol	Ryanair	29,536
10	Alicante	Ryanair	24,654
11	Leeds-Bradford	Ryanair	20,973
12	Barcelona-Reus	Ryanair	20,233
13	Lanzarote	Charter	7,185
14	Dublin	Aer Arann	6,978
15	Lourdes	Charter	4,329

Busiest routes to and from Ireland West Airport Knock (2011 Jan-Jun)

Rank	Airport	Airline	Passengers	% Change 2010 / 11
1	London Stansted	Ryanair	49,973	13
2	London Luton	Ryanair	39,971	12
3	Liverpool	Ryanair	32,507	16
4	London Gatwick	Aer Lingus	30,420	2
5	Manchester	bmibaby	20,073	4
6	Birmingham	bmibaby	19,524	15
7	East Midlands	Ryanair	19,514	2
8	Faro	Ryanair / Charter	14,943	33
9	Bristol	Ryanair	13,731	1
10	Leeds-Bradford	Ryanair	11,503	92
11	Alicante	Ryanair	10,204	23
12	Barcelona-Reus	Ryanair	9,030	63
13	Tenerife	Ryanair	5,259	N/A
14	Lanzarote	Ryanair / Charter	4,880	593
15	Gran Canaria	Ryanair	4,239	N/A
16	Edinburgh	flybe	2,604	N/A

Incidents and accidents

• On 23 March 2006, a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 "only marginally avoided controlled flight into terrain", during an approach to the airport following a flight from London Gatwick, according to the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit. An unbriefed descent, while the flight crew concentrated on reprogramming for a new approach, meant they arrived over the airport at 410 ft with landing gear and flaps up. The aircraft landed successfully following a second approach attempt.

Music

The construction of Knock Airport is the subject of "Knock Song" by Irish folk singer-songwriter Christy Moore. The musical "On a Wing and a Prayer" deals with the life and times of Monsignor James Horan, focusing on his long and arduous struggle to get the airport built. It premièred in the Royal Theatre, Castlebar, on the 25 November 2010.

External links

• Ireland West Airport Knock