‘Political favouritism’ as Galway Airport snubbed

As funding to keep Galway Airport was withdrawn, a massive €400,000 was pumped into the airport in Waterford for a runway extension which has now been the subject of intense criticism.

The Government has been accused of ‘satisfying’ Minister Brendan Howlin by pumping funding into the airport in Waterford while the Galway facility has been reduced to a private jet set location.

Galway Airport turned into a park and ride facility which didn’t even work out as expected as the third largest city in the country has been left without a scheduled air service.

And yet the Government has allocated a massive €400,000 to fund a runway extension at Waterford Airport – a luxury which Galway needed to attract airline jets to the city.

Deputy Noel Grealish has now asked why a regional airport in Waterford can be allocated such funding when Galway Airport has been almost left redundant.

“This is the greatest joke of all time. We have a Government who promised that there would be no preferential treatment given to any Minister and now we have the airport in Waterford being propped up when Galway is as good as gone.

“We have some of the biggest industrialists coming into the city and yet we have no airport for them to fly into and yet they are flooding Waterford with money. It is very suspicious”, Deputy Grealish added.

He said that he was now going to refer the matter to the Standards in Public Office committee as he believed that it was a case of minding votes for the Labour TD.

Deputy Grealish said that it was a disgrace that Galway Airport was downgraded to such an extent that it could now only accommodate private planes.

For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune