Coastguard no longer able to refuel in Galway

Last ditch talks are being held with the former operator of Galway Airport, which turned away the Coastguard and now offers no refuelling facility for rescue aircraft since a lease expired in December.

City Councillor Niall McNelis (Lab) said several planes were turned away, they were not allowed to refuel and the Coastguard was refused permission to land.

He was speaking at a meeting of Galway City Council in City Hall.

Cllr Padraig Conneely (FG) said the lease was allowed to expire, even though Galway City and County Councils – joint owners since the commercial airlines had pulled out following the withdrawal of State subsidies – had passed motions calling on both bodies to extend the lease arrangements with Carnmore Aviation for a minimum of 11 months.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council Brendan McGrath said he had held discussions with Carnmore Aviation Ltd on December 21 and had afterwards received correspondence from the company.

“The discussions have the capacity to go either way but they are ongoing,” he informed councillors at the meeting.

When the lease expired on December 15, the aviation licence also came to an end, which had allowed for the sale of fuel.

Mr McGrath said he wanted to remind councillors that the facility had only operated with large Government grants.

At a previous meeting, Chief Executive of Galway County Council Kevin Kelly said it was costing both councils about €115,000 to have a private company operating the facility. At the expiration of the lease, the councils indicated a willingness to enter a new agreement for 11 months but on the basis the local authorities would break even.

It was confirmed this week that security alone was running up a bill of €2,000 – that would be downgraded to CCTV monitoring with some onsite visits.

Carnmore Aviation Ltd had an Irish Aviation Authority Licence to operate an aerodrome and an IAA licence to dispense fuel to the Coastguard, Air Corps and private jets, which mainly ferried executives from the multinationals based in Galway.

A feasibility study commissioned by the councils recommended turning the site into a film studio, sports/leisure facility and a renewable energy

Currently, Galway Flying Club are operating from the airport, paying €10,900 for a year-long lease.

Cllr McNelis asked that the runway be maintained as “it was important to not let it go.”