Scrapping Travel Tax A Boost To Regional Airports

Ryanair has announced that it is to increase the frequency of flights on a number of its popular routes from Cork Airport.

The number of flights to Lanzarote and Malaga will increase next summer, followed by more flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Malaga from next winter.

Welcoming the news, Fine Gael Cork South Central Senator, Jerry Buttimer, said that this was a "clear indication" that the Government policy to scrap the travel tax has been instrumental in the budget airline and other airlines launching new routes in the region.

"Cork is Ryanair's second largest Irish airport, so it is vital that we continue to market Cork and the South West region as a top destination. CSO tourism figures published today show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding fares) for the first half of 2016 rose by 9.5% compared with the same period in 2015. We must work to ensure that our tourism strategy continues to deliver for Cork," Deputy Buttimer said.

"The increase in routes for 2017, along with increased passenger numbers in recent months, also highlights the demand for transatlantic flights from Cork Airport. In fact today's CSO figures show that revenue associated with visitors from North America grew by 7.6% in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. The plans for low-cost transatlantic flights from Cork have received widespread support from the Irish Government, aviation authorities, airports and travel groups. I hope the situation can be resolved quickly so that the much anticipated Cork-Boston route can commence."

(MH/LM)