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Airport in discussion with stakeholders over Carnmore expansion plan E-mail
Written by Christina Hession   
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Galway Airport, which will accommodate 350,000 passengers this year, has commenced discussions with stakeholders to facilitate its expansion, which is expected to occur on its site in Carnmore.

Mr David Niland, Deputy Chairman of Galway Airport, confirmed that a declaration of intent to progress the initiative came from the board at the New Year Reception at the airport on Monday evening.

"The facility we have is soon approaching capacity and we need to be able to take jets," Mr Niland commented. "We need to develop a plan in partnership with Galway City Council, Galway County Council and other other organisations, and we have already started that process.

"The city is developing rapidly and is being held back by the airport," Mr Niland noted, adding that the expansion of Galway Airport is expected to be carried out in conjunction with the IDA Biopharma development in Oranmore, and the Galway City Docklands Development.

Mr Niland noted that while Galway Airport is 90 per cent owned by Galway Chamber of Commerce, the airport had received funding in the past from the Government, Galway City Council, Galway County Council and other business sources. He added that it would not be unreasonable to go down that route again. Meanwhile, Galway Airport's new General Manager Joe Walsh, a native of Portumna, was unveiled at the reception on Monday evening.

Speaking at the reception, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon O Cuív, noted, "I have always believed that Galway Airport needs a runway capable of handling medium haul jets. I have campaigned long and hard on this issue, and I am still of this view. The challenge now is to get from where we are to where we want to be."

The Minister continued, "I believe that we must have long-term goals broken down into the smallest parts, that we can make progress on, and then that we must try by every means possible to get the necessary finance together. I am committing myself to working with the airport in addressing its deficiencies.

"I do not believe that this will be easy, but I do think that working together and with the full backing of the business community in the Galway region, we can bring Galway Airport to the stage of development outlined by the airport company in their development plan."


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