'St Patrick’s week starts the tourist season': Cork Airport expecting 53,000 passengers this weekend

More than 53,000 passengers are expected to pass through the terminal at Cork Airport this bank holiday weekend, a 7% increase on the same period last year.

Cork Airport is gearing up for one of its busiest weeks as tens of thousands of people travel to and from the facility throughout this St Patrick’s bank holiday weekend.

To celebrate the national holiday, Cork Airport will host local traditional Irish music and dance performers, from Thursday afternoon to Monday afternoon, with an extensive programme of entertainment across the terminal building.

While a heavy influx of travellers is expected to arrive in Cork city for the St Patrick’s Day festivities, others will be jetting off to major sporting fixtures, such as the Cheltenham Racing Festival and Ireland’s final game of the Six Nations Championship in Rome.

With the Cheltenham Racing Festival starting today, international sporting events will largely contribute to the 7% increase in passenger numbers when compared to the same bank holiday weekend last year.

This year, Ryanair will operate additional services to Birmingham, to cater for the increased demand, while many other punters will avail of the daily Aer Lingus regional service to Bristol.

Across Thursday and Friday, there will be six services from Cork to Rome to cater for the large number of Irish rugby fans heading to the Stadio Olympico for the final game of Ireland’s Six Nations rugby championship, versus Italy.

Three charter flights and an Aer Lingus service will complement the two scheduled Ryanair services.

Managing director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, said: “We in Ireland are blessed to have a national day which is known the world over and a branding which resonates in every country without prompt.

“St Patrick’s week starts the tourist season and we at Cork Airport have a feast of traditional music and song to celebrate our national culture, and to welcome visitors and locals together to Cork,” Mr McCarthy said.

“For outbound passengers, we have additional resources supporting our operation to ensure the standards of service this year remain as good as our passengers expect.”

With Friday earmarked to be the busiest day for departures, representatives at Cork Airport have advised those travelling this weekend to arrive at the airport in good time ahead of their flight, to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience.