Cork Airport says fortunes 'have really turned' with extra 2,300 seats a week

Passenger numbers growing - MD

Pictured at the launch of Cork Airport's new brand identity today are: Robyn Chadwick, The Loop, Rachel Larkin, Communications Assistant and Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport.

Pól Ó Conghaile

New routes have been like the proverbial buses at Cork Airport. We waited ages, and then several came along at once.

Last week, the airport announced new direct flights to Boston and Barcelona with Norwegian, beginning from May 2016. New York will follow in 2017.

This month saw CityJet kick off its direct service to London City Airport.

It followed that with the announcement of two further routes set to start from June 2016 - new flights from Cork to Nantes and La Rochelle in France.

Aer Lingus's unveiling of its summer 2016 schedule brings further capacity - with additional seats on its Paris, Barcelona, Palma and Faro services from the airport.

The airline will also launch a twice-weekly service from Cork to Dusseldorf from next May, and is set to double the frequency of its winter Tenerife flights.

The announcements means over 2,300 additional seats each week from Cork Airport for the summer months to seven popular destinations.

Cork is Ireland's second-busiest airport with over two million passengers a year.

That figure is down 35pc since 2008, but the airport will offer over 50 destinations next summer and says passenger numbers are rising again.

“The news is further evidence that fortunes have really turned at Cork Airport as we head into next year with solid growth in passenger numbers," said Managing Director Niall McCarthy.

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