To answer my many questions has anyone heard of Waterfords New Runway Extension? I hear they are putting another 300meters on it (New Total Distance 1733m) What is really happening? Newspapers are telling us everyweek that the airport got the Go Ahead, But i think the Airport Managment are looking at the Papers and getting a suprise to hear that the Airport Is extending!!
Let Me Know,
Andy
When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten.
The extension to the airports runway is in fact true but will not be happening for a least a year and a half. The strip will be increased to 2000m and 45m width. The Land aquistion orders have gone in over the summer according to Airport Chairman Nicky Fewer when he was speaking about the airports future on local radio
The South East Regional Airport company intends to launch a fresh
fundraising drive among the private sector to finance a ?10m runway
extension, with a view to landing commercial jets at Waterford within three
years.
Frank O'Regan, Vice-President of Bausch & Lomb, this week backed his Genzyme
counterpart Mark Bamforth in calling for scheduled flights from Waterford to
Dublin.
Mr O'Regan, a former President of the local Chamber of Commerce, said that
"well-timed flights would help alleviate the difficulties being experienced
by business travellers who have no real alternative at present to using the
inadequate Waterford to Dublin road".
A planned meeting by Genzyme executives prior to the opening of the company'
s ?125m plant expansion in Waterford had to be cancelled last week when
their jet was diverted from Cork to Shannon because of fog.
The runway at Waterford airport can only take turbo-prop and light jet
planes. IDA Ireland have long since pointed to the airport's access and
commercial traffic constraints as a barrier to attracting inward investment.
An extension of the runway at Killowen to cater for larger passenger jets,
including 737s, has long been mooted. Six years after making a submission
for Government funding, airport chairman Nicky Fewer says the board is to
renew fundraising efforts for the ?10m or so needed to extend and widen the
runway - from its current length of 1433m (x 30m wide) to, ideally, around
2000m (x 45m) - over the next two to three years.
Aer Arann have previously said they would consider a Waterford-Dublin
service. The carrier already flies daily between the capital and a number of
regional airports, such as Kerry, Galway, Knock and Donegal, which have a
PSO (Public Service Obligation) licence for the Dublin route.
However, the EU Commission has previously rejected proposals for a PSO link
between Waterford and Dublin on the grounds that the distance involved is
relatively short and that the route was 'adequately served by other
transport modes'.
Meanwhile, land CPOs for the long-awaited upgrading of the section of the
airport road outside the city boundary were published by Waterford Co
Council this week. The 5.1km realignment from Killure to just south of the
airport entrance/business park at Ballygarran will cost over ?8m.
Designed to take an eight-fold increase in traffic, it will also link the
airport to the new outer ring road and, eventually, the N25 city bypass. Mr
Fewer says the project - which will match the already upgraded 1.9km city
section from St John's Park - will "really help to integrate the airport"
with the rest of the city.
Pity nobody had the foresight to say - relocate WAT beside the N25/old New Ross railway line east of Waterford and build new... but Tramore IS such a big catchment area... and Waterford CC might not get any rates and god forbid any of the neighbouring counties get something called Waterford...
I don't think the problem would be foresight...there is loads of that with the current airport board, the problem would be getting the finance to pay for it.
The location of Waterford Airport was a re-occuring local media topic a few years ago, I think it is accepted (locally) that it is where it is and with local road improvements on the way access will get a lot better.
Anyone care to put a price on a new green field airport with a 2000m runway. Imagine the reaction of the NIMBYs........
It will be interesting to see if the mooted runway extension get the support from the government.
Yes Lambada Crazy it is a newspaper report, the first i've seen and nearly 3 weeks after your original post.
Care to point to more recent ones ?
Dogbiscuit
Hard to know I could guess about 20 million for a basic regional construction. It has been said that there will never be any government funding for another airport in Ireland, one reason that a site has never been developed in Kilkenny.
Any new airport would have to be private funding - then again 20 million is not mutch these days.
Don't they lay a runway ? on less of course they've collected the tokens from a box of cornflakes and sent away for it.
anyway "praestat sero quam nunquam"
see what you've started Flyer1
I have to say EIWF is a nice spot to fly into and been close to the Wales makes it a good spot to stop on way to the UK.
Long may it remain friendly to General Aviation !
O.W.
Wright Brothers.Aviation Pioneers: Orville (1871-1948) born in Dayton ,OH and Wilbur(1867-1912)born near Millville,IN. They were the First to Fly in a powered heavier-than-air-machine ,17th Dec 1903 at Kitty Hawk ,NC.