Cork Airport is the second-busiest airport in Ireland, ranking behind Dublin and ahead of Shannon in terms of passenger throughput. When Northern Ireland is added to the equation, the two airports in Belfast rank ahead of it as well. In all, nearly 2.8 million passengers pass through here on a yearly basis.
The past decade has seen a great deal of development at Cork. The new terminal opened in 2006, becoming the youngest airport terminal in the nation. Plenty of new infrastructure, including a new control tower, has been added on top of this. Currently, Cork Airport Authority is taking steps to become independent of the Dublin Airport Authority, reinforcing the region’s strong sense of independence.
Several regularly scheduled, seasonal and charter flights are operated out of the terminal. National carrier Aer Lingus conducts service across more than two dozen routes. The major service provider is low-cost carrier Ryanair, which established itself here in 2005 and connects Cork holiday destinations across Europe.
Passengers find all of the amenities and conveniences they would expect from a modern terminal of this size. Free wireless Internet is available, and a healthy selection of restaurants and shops await visitors. The main shopping outlet here is The Loop, dealing in everything from designer fashion to local specialties such as smoked salmon.
Cork serves as gateway to the entire region, and visitors with cheap car hire from Cork Airport are in a particularly good position to visit the Stone of Blarney and Cobh, the seaside town from which the Titanic set sail.