Number of flights at Cork declined last month

THE number of air traffic movements at Cork airport declined last month.

However, the news is unlikely to concern airport staff, as the number of passengers using the facility is increasing.

Data issued by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) shows that the volume of air traffic in Irish air space increased by 5.5% in April, 2017 versus April, 2016.

The bulk of this was at Dublin airport, where there was a 4.2% in daily traffic.

While commercial terminal flights at Cork dropped by 8.2%, in comparison to the same month last year — likely the result of of the removal of the City Jet flight to London City, last June — the airport is still busier than Shannon.

Cork has an average of 51 commercial movements each day, and Shannon 48.

It is part of a continuing trend at Cork airport, with flights declining by 6.2% in March, 2017, in comparison to the same month last year.

However, airport staff noted that the most accurate measure of performance is not the number of flights, but the number on each flight.

Just last week, airport officials at Cork reported a 6% increase in the number of passengers, despite the lower number of flights using the facility.

Existing routes, including all the airport’s connections to London, continue to see healthy traffic figures, while several new routes are due to start in the coming weeks.

Cork’s direct connection to Newquay, in Cornwall, started last weekend, with connections to Reykjavik and Zurich due to start in the coming weeks.

Norwegian Air will commence its direct transatlantic service — the airport’s first — in July, with sales reported to be ‘strong’, according to staff at the carrier.