Airport should retain aviation services – TD
The retention of aviation activities at Galway Airport has been pinpointed as a priority by Galway West Independent TD Noel Grealish.
In a submission to the consultants employed to draw up a feasibility study on potential uses of the Carnmore facility, he said it was imperative that the runway be retained.
Galway City and County Councils, who bought the 115-acre site last year for €1.1m, have employed Future Analytics Consulting to come up with a report on its future, and interested parties had until last Friday to make a submission on the matter.
Deputy Grealish said that there were several potential uses for the site, but these should be complementary to the continued use of the facility by Galway Flying Club, multinational company executives and the emergency services.
“The Galway Flying Club is a thriving group of people who use the current airport facility at Carnmore as the base for their activities, and they have established a reputation for providing an excellent training facility – many of those who learned to fly in Galway have gone on to follow careers as commercial pilots around the world.
“Should the airport not continue to be available for aviation purposes, this very active club – which has about 130 members, ranging in age from school students to people who are retired – will have nowhere to go,” he warned.
Deputy Grealish said that another very good reason to retain the facility was the growing number of multi-national companies who have established major bases in Galway, providing thousands of jobs.
“The senior executives of these major companies regularly fly in to inspect their Galway operations and hold important meetings and it is vital that we continue to offer them a nearby facility to cater for the private jets in which they normally travel, in order for them to be able to fly in, do their business and fly back out in the shortest possible period of time.”
The Galway West TD added that the airport also offered a vital link in the lifesaving operations of the Coastguard and Air Corps rescue helicopters, as a refuelling centre. University Hospital Galway was one of the busiest receiving hospitals in the country for these flights that saved people’s lives every year.
“I see no reason why the airport should not continue in an aviation capacity while at the same time being put to other uses.
“An obvious complementary possibility is the film industry. Galway is already strongly associated with the film and TV industry and the airport could extend the attraction of the area for film-makers. Galway Chamber is proposing the development of a creative media cluster on the site, with the retention of the runway for flights.
“Whether it is developed as a base for film-making or some other use, I feel the most important thing is that Galway Airport continues to play its part in providing an aviation service for the benefit of the people of Galway city and county and beyond,” added Deputy Grealish.