Ryanair interested in new service from the South-East

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has stated that if Waterford Airport gets a runway capable of taking jet planes, then the airline would likely offer a route from there.

O'Leary made the comments when speaking to media, politicians and civil servants about the airline's economic contribution to the nation in Dublin recently.

He added, however, that he wouldn’t want to be an investor in Waterford Airport despite that being where Ryanair originally launched its first route from.

"If they open a jet runway in Waterford, we will probably service Waterford to and from London," he said.

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"However, this eats into Dublin’s catchment area and Cork’s catchment area. Cork and Shannon struggle because now increasingly more and more people will drive to Dublin because Dublin has a wider choice of flights."

Kilkenny County Council has stated in the past that it supports the development of Waterford Airport as an important regional transport asset and would like to see the return of scheduled passenger services.