Ireland West Airport: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
| footnotes = Source: Irish [[Aeronautical Information Service|AIS]]<ref name="AIP">{{AIP IE|EIKN|name=IRELAND WEST}}</ref> |
| footnotes = Source: Irish [[Aeronautical Information Service|AIS]]<ref name="AIP">{{AIP IE|EIKN|name=IRELAND WEST}}</ref> |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Ireland West Airport Knock''' ({{lang-ga|Aerfort Iarthar Éireann}}) is an airport located {{convert|3|NM|abbr=on|lk=in}}<ref name="AIP"/> south-west of [[Charlestown, County Mayo|Charlestown]], [[County Mayo]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. The name is derived from the |
'''Ireland West Airport Knock''' ({{lang-ga|Aerfort Iarthar Éireann}}) is an airport located {{convert|3|NM|abbr=on|lk=in}}<ref name="AIP"/> south-west of [[Charlestown, County Mayo|Charlestown]], [[County Mayo]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. The name is derived from the village of [[Knock, County Mayo|Knock]], where the [[Marian apparition|Virgin Mary]], together with [[Saint Joseph]] and [[John the Evangelist]], are said to have appeared in 1879. 654,553 passengers used the airport in 2011. The airport was formerly known as '''Knock International Airport''', '''Connaught Regional Airport''', and '''Horan International Airport'''. Connaught Aero Club<ref>[http://www.connaughtaeroclub.ie/ Connaught Aero Club]</ref> and Shoreline Aviation are based at the airport. |
||
==History== |
==History== |
||
Revision as of 11:35, 1 November 2012
Ireland West Airport Knock Aerfort Iarthar Éireann | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Irelandwestairportknocklogo.gif | |||||||||||
| 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 / 53.91028°N 8.81861°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.irelandwestairport.com | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Ireland West Airport Knock (Irish: Aerfort Iarthar Éireann) is an airport located 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi)[1] south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. The name is derived from the village of Knock, where the Virgin Mary, together with Saint Joseph and John the Evangelist, are said to have appeared in 1879. 654,553 passengers used the airport in 2011. The airport was formerly known as Knock International Airport, Connaught Regional Airport, and Horan International Airport. Connaught Aero Club[2] 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.[3] The opening followed a long campaign by Monsignor James Horan.[3] 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.
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.[3]
On 1 June 2003, hundreds of people gathered at Knock International Airport to view a Boeing 747 land with 500 returning pilgrims from Lourdes.[4]
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.[3]
Knock was voted Ireland's best regional airport in 2006 and again in 2009 by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.[3]
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.[5]
In 2008 a record 629,000 passengers used the airport, a 13% rise compared to the previous year.[3]
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. [6]
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. [7] Ryanair added Faro and Reus (Barcelona) routes in May 2010.[8]
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. [9]
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. [10] [11]
In November 2011 Ryanair announced further expansion from the airport with flights to Beauvais-Tillé, Frankfurt Hahn, Bergamo-Orio al Serio and Girona-Costa Brava 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. In May 2012 budget carrier BmiBaby anoucced that it was to axe its only route between Ireland West Airport Knock and Birmingham from June 10th due to the airlines takeover by IAG. [12]
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.[1]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | London-Gatwick |
| Aer Lingus Regional operated by Aer Arann | Birmingham |
| Croatia Airlines | Summer Seasonal Charter: Dubrovnik |
| Flybe | Edinburgh, Manchester |
| Flybe operated by Loganair | Oil Charter: Sumburgh |
| Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings | Summer Seasonal: Düsseldorf |
| Onur Air | Summer Seasonal Charter:Izmir |
| Ryanair | Bristol [ends 29 March], Lanzarote, Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Nottingham/East Midlands
|
| Travel Service | Summer Seasonal Charter: Lanzarote |
Ground transport
- Bus
Bus Éireann currently provide services from the Airport on the Derry-Sligo-Galway and Galway-Sligo-Derry Route 64,[14] Ireland West Airport Knock - Castlebar - Westport - Achill Island route 440,[15] Dublin - Athlone - Ireland West Airport Knock - Westport route 21,[16] and connects with Dublin - Mullingar - Longford - Ballina route 22[17] via Charlestown.
- Taxi
The airport is also served by taxis. There is a taxi rank located outside the arrivals/departures entrance.
- 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 (22km) or Claremorris (31km), 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 rental firms are Europcar, Hertz, Irish Car Rentals, Budget and Avis.
- 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
- 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
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | % Change 2010 / 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  London Stansted |
107,752 |  9.1
|
| 2 | London Luton |
80,288 | 8.6
|
| 3 | London Gatwick |
71,125 | 5.4
|
| 4 | Liverpool |
71,028 | 15.9
|
| 5 | Birmingham |
44,573 | 6.3
|
| 6 | East Midlands |
43,299 | 0.5
|
| 7 | Manchester |
40,337 |  15.8
|
| 8 |  Faro |
35,105 | 1.7
|
| 9 |  Alicante |
25,843 | 4.8
|
| 10 | Bristol |
25,767 | 12.7
|
| 11 | Barcelona-Reus |
23,196 | 14.6
|
| 12 | Leeds-Bradford |
22,389 | 6.8
|
| 13 | Lanzarote |
19,608 | 172.9
|
| 14 | Tenerife |
12,913 | nm |
| 15 | Edinburgh |
10,053 | nm |
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.[19]
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.
References
- ^ a b c EIKN – IRELAND WEST (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation Authority.
- ^ Connaught Aero Club
- ^ a b c d e f "History of Ireland West Airport Knock". Ireland West Airport Knock. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ Pictures of Boeing 747 at Knock Airport flickr.com, June 2003.
- ^ New scheduled flights to New York & Boston commence!
- ^ http://www.irelandwestairport.com/utility/news_details.aspx?id=176
- ^ http://www.irishnews.com/break.asp?tbrk=brk&par=brk&catid=5834&subcatid=642&storyid=394440
- ^ http://www.irelandwestairport.com/utility/news_details.aspx?id=221
- ^ http://www.irelandwestairport.com/utility/news_details.aspx?id=177
- ^ http://mayotoday.ie/index.php/browse-mayo-news-by-category/life-a-style/item/3518-ryanair-celebrates-4-million-passengers-on-knock-flights.html
- ^ "Lufthansa to start Knock Airport service". RTÉ News. 14 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.irelandwestairport.com/utility/news_details.aspx?id=279
- ^ "Scheduled Flights Summer / Autumn 2012".
- ^ Bus eireann commences new daily bus services to Ireland West Airport Knock serving towns on the Derry-Sligo-Galway Route 64
- ^ http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1270137753-440.pdf
- ^ http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1276875417-21.pdf
- ^ http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1233309217-22.pdf
- ^ CSO Ireland Database - Air Passenger Movements
- ^ "Serious Incident: Boeing B737-800, EI-DHX, Ireland West Airport, Knock, 23 Mar 2006". AAIU. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
External links
| Northern Ireland |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland (statistics) |
| |||||
Smaller airports handling domestic, charter or private services only. | ||||||