Norwegian flights contribute to Airport's passenger boost

THE success of the new routes from Cork to the USA with Norwegian Air have helped the Airport recorded a 5% increase in passenger numbers in January, compared to the same period in 2017. 

And the Scandanavian airline says it hopes to launch new routes from Cork ‘in the future’.

Traffic rose across all markets served by the country’s second busiest airport but passenger volumes to and from eastern Europe had the biggest increase, up 13.4% year-on-year, while southern Europe was up 12.5% and London increased by 1%. 

 However, management also added that one of the biggest route additions in 2017 was Cork’s first year-round direct transatlantic service with Norwegian to Boston Providence. 

It is proving a popular route, with TF Green Airport an hour from Boston, less than two hours from the famed Cape Cod, along with easy access to the nearby islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. 

‘It’s great to know that there’s strong support for our flights from Cork,’ a Norwegian spokesperson told The Southern Star. ‘It’s worth knowing that more than 130,000 passengers have flown Norwegian between Ireland and the USA since flights commenced last July.’

 They added: ‘Although we do not breakdown performance by route, we have seen strong demand for Cork’s first ever transatlantic flights to the USA as our services are proving popular with Irish holidaymakers. We still have ambitions to launch future new routes from Cork, but our current focus is on continuing to deliver excellent value to Cork residents seeking high quality flights to the USA.’

 See next week’s paper for a chance to win two flights from Cork to Providence/Boston on Norwegian Air, and a €100 voucher for The Loop at Cork Airport