Cork Airport History
Cork Airport (ORK), is Ireland’s second busiest with passenger numbers in excess of 2.5 million. The airport is located 6.5 kilometres outside the city and there are flights to 45 destinations in Europe. The airport has seen growth in passenger numbers in recent years. The address is Cork Airport, Kinsale Road, Cork. In 2006 a new terminal building was opened providing a more modern customer experience. The Irish word for the airport is Aerfort Chorcaí, this translation is the English words, Cork Airport. The postcode for (ORK) is T12P5NF.
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There are daily flights to Amsterdam Schiphol and also flights to Paris – Charles de Gaulle in France. The airport has a long history dating back to the 1950s. The busiest route is to London Heathrow route. The airport was opened on the 16th of October 1961. back in those days this was a massive boost for the local area and created much need for jobs and employment. Cork Airport’s history goes way back to 19757 when the Irish government agreed to build the airport and in the year 1959, companies were invited to tender for the project at a cost of 1 million. this was a large investment programme at the time by the government of Ireland. The opening of (ORK) in 1961 saw flights available four per week and over 10,000 passengers in the first year. The fists ket landed in the year 1964.
Cork is Ireland’s second-largest city and is located in the southwest area of Ireland. The area was originally a monastic settlement and was once a fully walled city. The population of Cork in 2019 was 210,000. The airport provides a vital link to European countries and the UK. The airport employs a large number of people and is a great boost to the local economy and is linked to 12,180 jobs and has seen growth over a period of years. The growth of numbers in 2019 was an 8% increase.
The findings of an economic impact study found that the airport generated 904 million euros for the local economy.
The area has grown over the years, and between 1980 to 2000 saw new routes to Gatwick Airport, in London. In 1987 Ryanair set up routes from the location. 1988 the runway was extended. 2000 onwards saw plans for a new terminal building with an investment of 140million euros.
In 2001, a plan was put together to build a large hotel on the grounds, and a great Southern Hotel was built. this hotel is very close to the airport and offered great benefits for people using the (ORK)
In 2005, Ryanair opened its 15th European hub in Cork. 2006 saw the opening of the new terminal building. In 2011 Cork Airport celebrated being 50 years old and in 2016 won an award for the corporate campaign of the year in Brussels from the EU public affairs (Euro PA awards). In 2017 Cork was named the best airport in Europe with under five million passengers by the (ACI) airport council international.
The site has seen many high-profile visitors, including Michael Jackson. Queen Elizabeth flew back to the UK from Cork after the Queen’s state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011.
There is a master plan for the development of the airport until 2023. The airport was first for customer satisfaction in the year 2013, this survey was carried out on global passengers by the airport’s council. the survey was measured by customer satisfaction in 61 different airports. 2016 saw the area win the Corporate Campaign of the Year Prize from Euro Awards in Bruslle. ORK has been actively trying to secure transatlantic flights. The area is no drone fly zone and there have been issues with drones in and around the airport, the ban is a 4.5 kilometre’s ban on drones in the area. In the year 2017, two drones broke the rules and passed into airport airspace.
Destinations Available
You can fly to a large number of destinations and Europe from (ORK), you can fly to and from the UK, Spain, Germany and France. Ryanair has a huge of flights, offering plenty of nice destinations to travel to. Ryanair flight rates are very good making them very competitive in the sector. Ryanair has flights to Pisa, Poznan, Rome and Tenerife from (ORK)
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FAO – Frequently Asked Questions
When was Cork Airport opened and built??
Answer – The airport opened in 1961 and the building project took a few years and started in 1960 and was finished in October 1961.
How many runways does Cork Airport have?
Answer – Cork Airport has one runway and it is a jet-capable runway, this is the case since 1961. The runway is 1883 metres in length and was extended by 300 metres in the year 1999.