Unused airstrips still cost State €125,000 a year

A plan to provide an air service between the mainland and Inishbofin remains grounded – and costing the state €125,000 annually to maintain the disused and overgrown runways.

The airstrips in both Cleggan and Inishbofin were built almost a decade ago at a cost of €10 million, and the intention was that 20-seater planes would fly between the two destinations.

Back in 2010 the airstrips were provided under a Fianna Fáil-led government in which Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív was the Gaeltacht Minister.

A year later progress on the air service ground to an immediate halt when Fine Gael took power.

Since then, the government has forked out €1.2 million in maintenance fees to a private company – money that would have been sufficient to provide two terminal buildings along with emergency services on both ‘Bofin and Cleggan.

There is no permanent security at either airstrip although it has been confirmed that perimeter fencing is replaced when it is removed during high winds.

But the fact that the airstrips have remained redundant almost ten years later is a source of annoyance for islanders who had built up hopes of getting access to the mainland on a five minute flight.

The airstrips have become overgrown with weeds and ragwort and it would take a major effort to bring them back into use. At one point, the Fine Gael-led government put them up for sale but there were no offers.

Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív now believes that it will take a change of government before the airstrips will be utilised.

He is advocating that the current Aer Arainn service from Inverin to the Aran Islands be expanded to take in Inishbofin and Cleggan if there was government will in this regard.

“Inishbofin and the Aran Islands are hugely important when it comes to attracting visitors to this island and the provision of an air service is vital. To see the two airstrips not being used is tragic.

“There are three operational hotels on Inishbofin which is unique in itself but it is hugely important that we maintain a young population on the island so that it can survive into the future,” he said.

The Fianna Fail TD said that €500,000 would be sufficient to build two terminal buildings on both ‘Bofin and in Cleggan. “This is the cost of two domestic dwelling houses,” Deputy Ó Cuív observed.

When it came to the cost of staffing the two airstrips, the construction of two terminal buildings and the provision of emergency services, the Department of the Gaeltacht baulked and would not fund this and consequently they have remained overgrown and unused.

Deputy Ó Cuív also believed that there would be huge interest in Inishbofin from private air clubs based in Britain and other parts of Europe if the airstrip was opened.