Sky's the limit for airport as new service takes to the air

By Dara Bradley

Airport bosses have predicted that Galway’s newly launched link to London Southend will mark the start of a brighter future for the facility, which has been under increasing financial pressure in the aftermath of the Government’s decision to withdraw its support for subsidised fares.

Management at Galway Airport say the new air route will, in time, increase the Carnmore facility’s connectivity with major European regional and hub airports such as Amsterdam and Charles de Gaulle, Paris – and that, they say, will create new opportunities in terms of business links to new destinations as well as opening up new tourism markets with direct access to Galway.

Aer Arann’s first flight from Galway Airport to Southend London took to the skies on Sunday – the Irish airline will operate direct flights four times a week, with three days via Waterford.

There will be two return flights each day, morning and evening, between Galway and London Southend with direct flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. On the other three days each week flights will operate via Waterford.

The flight time is about one hour 50 minutes and when a new terminal and rail station is completed at Southend by the end of this year, the train commute into London Liverpool Street station will be approximately 50 minutes.

The new route opens up the whole east coast of England and the greater London area for passengers flying direct from Galway but also has huge potential for local businesses as well as tourism interests, according to Galway Airport manager Joe Walsh.

It will also offer great opportunities for Galway people to fly direct to the airport, which is situated just miles – and one train station hop away – from Stratford, the heart of the London Olympics 2012. “There are large Irish populations on the east coast of England, in places like Brentwood and Colchester and now there is a direct flight into Galway, which opens up new tourism markets and opportunities,” said Mr Walsh.

“It is a new London airport, that was in use in the World War II days and has been used as a maintenance airport since but now we are the first scheduled service they have.’’

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.