Construction of new mezzanine at Cork Airport goes out to tender

THE daa has confirmed that the construction of a new mezzanine floor at Cork Airport has gone to tender to be completed in 2025.

The project is being undertaken in order to accommodate C3 scanners at the airport — a new type of cabin baggage security scanner that does not require liquids and gels to be removed from the passenger’s bag.

It is one of the daa’s key infrastructure projects under the ‘Build for the Future’ pillar of its corporate strategy for 2022 to 2026.

The daa provided an update on the progress in its 2023 annual report.

It said Cork Airport served over 2.8 million passengers last year, marking the busiest year for international passenger traffic in the airport’s 62-year history.

The airport’s strong-performing European hub routes to London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt airports were some of the main drivers of growth in 2023, and significant investments were made by daa in key capital infrastructure projects at the airport during the year.

The total revenue generated by Cork Airport in 2023 was €50m, compared to €36m in 2022. In 2023, the daa Group, which also operates Dublin Airport, recorded a total turnover of €1,018m; an increase of 35% on 2022.

The report also showed that, for the first time in its history, daa has earned in excess of €1bn in revenue, which has resulted in the daa Group recording a profit after tax and exceptional items of €176 million for 2023.

After the recovery in the group’s financial position post-Covid, the board recommended an interim dividend of €31 million for the year, which will be the first return of capital to the shareholder since 2019.

Recognising Cork Airport’s performance in 2023, daa chief executive officer Kenny Jacobs said: “I want to thank the team at Cork Airport for delivering a record-breaking year in 2023. With further growth anticipated in 2024, Cork Airport will continue to offer a best-in-class service to passengers, with more new and exciting destinations in the pipeline.”