TR AN S FO R M I N G CO R K
CORK’S PLACE IN EUROPE - NEXT GENERATION EU Cork Chamber is delivering a “Communicating Europe Initiative”, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The programme is aimed at deepening public awareness of the role the European Union plays in our daily lives and at improving the quality and accessibility of public information on European issues, particularly at regional and national level. Many of the challenges and opportunities that we face today are global and we cannot address these on our own. As such, our programme “Cork’s Place in Europe - Next Generation EU’’ seeks to engage members by offering an opportunity to have their say on
how decisions and policies are communicated at European level. Specifically, Ireland is set to receive almost €1 billion in grants from the European Union to support Ireland’s recovery and resilience plan, of which 42% will go to climate objectives and 32% to digital objectives. The plan forms part of an unprecedented coordinated EU response to the COVID-19 crisis. It should support city regions such as Cork to address challenges by embracing the green and digital transitions which will in turn, strengthen economic and social resilience and the cohesion of the Single Market.
Complete the “Communicating Europe’’ survey & register to attend an online event with political, business and youth leaders on 19 October. Check out the events page on CorkChamber.ie
REOPENING OF RYANAIR BASE AT CORK AIRPORT A HUGE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
Ryanair has announced a €200m investment in Cork Airport and a full recovery of its pre-pandemic passenger capacity with the reopening of the base. The investment will bring 20 routes to Cork, including the introduction of new services to Birmingham and Edinburgh. The restoration of the airline’s base from December will also secure 60 Ryanair jobs. Cork Airport and the daa have worked closely with Ryanair to extend the traffic recovery scheme to the end of October 2022 to incentivise Ryanair traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels. This €200m investment secures 60 Ryanair jobs at Cork, but more importantly restores passenger traffic at Cork to pre-pandemic levels for summer ’22.
Natalia Matloch Ryanair; Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson; Cork Airport’s Managing Director Niall MacCarthy and Lindie Murphy Ryanair. Photo: Gerard McCarthy
Commenting on the announcement, Conor Healy, CEO of Cork Chamber said: “The announcement by Ryanair that it is to reopen its base at Cork Airport is a huge vote of confidence in the region. It will help to position Cork on the road to economic recovery as the airline facilitates a great deal of business and tourism not only in Cork but throughout the entire southern region. Today’s news means that Cork Airport can begin to build on the momentum and success it was experiencing prior to the pandemic when passenger numbers were reaching record highs and the airport itself was Ireland’s fastest growing airport.” He continued: “As the country begins to emerge from the effects of COVID19, Cork Airport will once again become a key driver of the Cork economy ensuring strong regional and national connectivity. It is essential now that government continues to robustly support Cork Airport through Traffic Recovery Support Scheme and marketing funding. Cork Chamber welcomes today’s significant announcement and the anticipated level of activity it will bring to the airport.”
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