Ireland West Airport

Ireland West Airport Knock Iarthar Éireann, Cnoc Mhuire Aerfort
File:KnockAirportLogo.png
IATA: NOC ICAO: EIKN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Connaught Airport Development Company Ltd
Serves	West and Northwest 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: Iarthar Éireann, Cnoc Mhuire Aerfort) is an airport located 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. 630,000 passengers used the airport in 2008. 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 and notable events

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.

Landing in a Boeing 737 at Ireland West Airport Knock on a flight from Manchester Airport, UK.

Ryanair commenced flights to London Luton during 1986, with a route to London Stansted added in 1992. 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. The aircraft stood as high as the airport's air traffic control tower. It was the second of its type to land at Knock.

In March 2003 MyTravelLite launched flights linking Knock with Birmingham and celebrated 100,000 passengers on the route in April 2004 but terminated the route the following year in April 2005. Subseqently Bmibaby, Ryanair, Aer Arann and EasyJet added several daily flights linking the airport with UK destinations, and though not all routes proved successful by 2005 the airport was handling 500,000 passengers per annum.

Knock was voted Ireland's best regional airport in 2004 and again in 2006 by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland.

2007 was a record year for the airport, with scheduled Flyglobespan transatlantic services to New York and Boston commenced during May 2007. The flights to the US proved more sucessful than projected by the airline, and the service was to resume in 2008, but the route has since been discontinued to to poor service.

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

On the 19th December 2008 Aer Lingus announced a route to London Gatwick that started in April 2009. This was Aer Lingus first service to the Airport since 1999.

Since the installation of the Category II Instrument Landing System in April 2009, no flights have been diverted to another airport such as Shannon due to poor visibility conditions to date.

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 has stated that it will continue the implementation of its €46 million infrastructural investment programme with over €20 million of spend anticipated for 2008. Work will commence 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 will see this more than double in size has commenced. The implementation of Category II Instrument Landing System (CAT II ILS) on runway 27, which will enhance the reliability of the Airport in low visibility conditions, is 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.

Name

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.

Ground transportation

A shuttle bus service between the airport and Charlestown 3 NM (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) links with regular intercity and regional services of the Bus Éireann network. A bus service also operates between Westport, County Mayo and the airport. Shuttle bus services also operate to Claremorris railway station, and car hire is available at the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled flights

Airlines	Destinations
Aer Arann	Cork, Dublin
Aer Lingus	London-Gatwick
Bmibaby	Birmingham, Manchester
Ryanair	Alicante [seasonal], Bristol, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford [begins 26 March], Liverpool, London-Luton, London-Stansted

Charter flights

Airlines	Destinations
Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways	Salzburg [seasonal]
Dubrovnik Airline	Spilt [seasonal]
Iberworld	Palma De Mallorca [seasonal], Reus [seasonal]
Monarch Airlines	Faro [seasonal]
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich [seasonal]
Travel Service	Lanzarote

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, as the pilots fixated 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.

External links

• Ireland West Airport Knock