CORK Airport must be central to Ireland’s aviation future, the Seanad has heard.

Speaking in the Oireachtas chamber Senator Aubrey McCarthy said the record-breaking Cork hub must play a far greater role in Ireland’s national aviation strategy.

He warned that debates on lifting the cap at Dublin Airport - (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 - risk side-lining regional airports that already have capacity, modern infrastructure and major economic importance.

Speaking on his proposed amendment to the draft legislation, Sen McCarthy said Cork Airport and other regional airports are ‘runways sitting there today, under used, while Dublin strains at the seams’.

He highlighted that Cork Airport handled almost three and half million passengers in 2025 and remains one of Ireland’s most significant aviation hubs, a vital gateway for business, tourism and international connectivity across Munster.

Despite this, he said, Cork continues to be under utilised in national aviation planning, even though it has the facilities, the capability and the regional impact to support a far greater share of Ireland’s aviation needs.

The amendment requires the Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien (FF) to deliver a report within 12 months examining how regional airports, particularly Cork, can support national aviation capacity, relieve pressure on Dublin, and strengthen balanced regional development.

Senator McCarthy said the proposal is modest, costs nothing, and simply ensures that future aviation policy ‘looks at the whole country, and that absolutely includes Cork Airport’.

Cork Airport set its all-time annual passenger record in 2025 with 3.46m passengers. Traffic has increased by 67% over the past decade and is expected to grow again this year.

The hub is undergoing a €200m capital development plan to expand its capacity to over 5m passengers annually.