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• Met Éireann forecasting temperature drop this week as a cold Arctic airmass descends over Ireland.
• Cork Airport snow and ice team is ready, and equipment is serviced to ensure flights and passengers arrive and depart on-time without disruption. 
• Cork Airport on track to reach 3.1 million passengers in 2024 with 10% growth as we enter the build-up to the busy Christmas season.

With temperatures forecast to drop significantly in the coming days, Cork Airport’s hardworking snow and ice team has activated their preparation plans and will remain on-call throughout the day and night to treat and clear any accumulations of ice or snow. 

Over the next number of days, passenger safety and operational efficiency remains the top priority for Cork Airport’s asset care team as they work to treat surfaces in the airport car parks, entrance roads, footpaths, and the terminal forecourt. Treatment of airside surfaces such as the apron, taxiways and main runways will also play an important part in the work of the snow & ice teams. Using a wide variety of snow & ice clearing equipment including sprayers, spreaders, brushes, blowers, the Cork Airport asset care team will be working around the clock to ensure that disruption to operations remains at a minimum. 

While the airport’s asset care team will be taking care of the surface treatment, Cork Airport Fire Service will be undertaking frequent patrols to monitor the condition of the taxiways, the main airport runway 16/34 and landside road surfaces. Cork Airport’s operations team has been engaging extensively with Cork-based airlines and ground handling agencies to ensure they also remain prepared ahead of the drop in temperatures this week, including their plans for the de-icing of aircraft.  

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport added:

“Airport activities change in the seasons and whereas in summer, our maintenance colleagues must focus on areas like grass management and campus improvements, over the winter, the focus turns to operational readiness for snow and ice events. We have a great maintenance team supported by a substantial fleet of specialist equipment and our maintenance colleagues, led by Eamon O’Donovan, Jonathan Murphy working alongside our airport engineer, Brian Culloty, will do their utmost to ensure everyone gets away and home safely as we enter the busy Christmas season. Cork Airport is Ireland’s fastest growing airport, and we will do our utmost to improve and maintain our standards of customer service to accompany that strong growth.” 

Passengers due to fly over the coming days should ensure that they exercise caution when travelling to the airport, particularly in the early mornings, as road surfaces may be slippery. For the most accurate flight information, passengers should consult the website or mobile app of their airline.