Extra Ryanair flights from Cork show benefit of scrapping the travel tax – Buttimer

Fine Gael Cork South Central Senator, Jerry Buttimer, has welcomed the announcement by Ryanair of increased frequencies on their popular Lanzarote and Malaga routes from Cork Airport next summer. Ryanair has also announced more flights from Cork to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Malaga next winter, which will lead to further growth at Cork Airport in 2017.

“The increase in frequency of flights will see 860,000 Ryanair passengers fly through Cork Airport on 17 different routes. It is a clear indication that the Government policy to scrap the travel tax has been instrumental in the budget airline and other airlines launching new routes in region.

“Cork is Ryanair’s second largest Irish airport, so it is vital that we continue to market Cork and the South West region as a top destination. CSO tourism figures published today show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding fares) for the first half of 2016 rose by 9.5% compared with the same period in 2015. We must work to ensure that our tourism strategy continues to deliver for Cork.

“The increase in routes for 2017, along with increased passenger numbers in recent months, also highlights the demand for transatlantic flights from Cork Airport. In fact today’s CSO figures show that revenue associated with visitors from North America grew by 7.6% in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. The plans for low-cost transatlantic flights from Cork have received widespread support from the Irish Government, aviation authorities, airports and travel groups. I hope the situation can be resolved quickly so that the much anticipated Cork-Boston route can commence.”