Ireland South MEP and member of the EU Transport Committee, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, will make the case for Waterford airport at the highest levels of EU governance when she has a one on one meeting this evening with EU President Ursula Von Der Leyen in Strasbourg.
One of the first issues Ní Mhurchú will raise with the EU President is the reopening and funding of Waterford airport. According to Ní Mhurchú, the EU Commission has prioritised investment in rail infrastructure on mainland Europe at the expense of regional airports across the EU,
“In light of the green agenda, there has been an overall reluctance by the European Commission to invest in our regional airports. This disproportionately impacts on an island like Ireland where air connectivity is vital for our rural economy. I will stress to Ms Von Der Leyen that Ireland is a special case when it comes to investing in regional airports given that we are a predominantly rural island on the periphery of Europe.”
Ní Mhurchú is due to meet with management of Ryanair next week where she will again raise the issue of flights to and from Waterford airport.
