{"id":418229,"date":"2026-04-26T10:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/418229\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T10:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:05:09","slug":"councils-urged-to-safeguard-future-of-galway-airport-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/418229\/","title":{"rendered":"Councils urged to safeguard future of Galway Airport site"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local Authorities in Galway are being urged to safeguard the future of an aviation facility in the county, in order to drive investment and secure air access to the region.<\/p>\n

Galway Airport has not been used for commercial flights since 2011 but discussions on its future use are ongoing. Comprising a total of 118 acres, it was jointly purchased by Galway City and County councils in 2013.<\/p>\n

The recently formed Galway Aviation & Innovation Advocacy Group says it is fearful that a loss of air access to the site would have a negative effect on future economic growth.<\/p>\n

It is calling on elected representatives to support the development of an “airside enabled” innovation campus.<\/p>\n

Since it ceased to operate commercially, the airport has been used to accommodate private flights and is also a base for the Galway Flying Club.<\/p>\n

\"Planes
\nThe 118 acre site was purchased by Galway City and County councils in 2013<\/p>\n

The facility was used as a Covid-19 test centre, during the pandemic, and has served as a filming location for a number of productions in recent years.<\/p>\n

It is described as a “key opportunity site” in the Regional Spacial and Economic Strategy, given its size, its location and proximity to the motorway infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Last year, the local authorities invited expressions of interest in relation to the future development of the airport, saying it had the capacity to accommodate a multiplicity of uses, “subject to zoning and planning”.
It sought usage proposals for the land in question, which includes two hangar buildings, a large car park and a 1,300 metre runway.<\/p>\n

That has resulted in a total of six bids for the site being considered, some of which have an aviation component included.<\/p>\n

The advocacy group argues that the maintenance of this aspect must be central to any future decision in relation to the site.<\/p>\n

It wants City and County councillors, who will vote on any possible sale, to support the retention of the runway.<\/p>\n

\"Galway
\nGalway Airport’s hangars were used as Covid testing facilities during the pandemic<\/p>\n

The campaigners are not bidding to buy the airport themselves and say they have no links with any other interested parties.<\/p>\n

But they suggest the facility has the potential to have a “niche” appeal for business aviation, air freight and the transfer of materials for medical technology and life sciences companies operating in the region, as well as serving as a pilot training centre.<\/p>\n

They argue that any cessation of its air connectivity would be detrimental in the long-term.<\/p>\n

The councils say engagement with interested parties is ongoing, and due to commercial sensitivities, it would be “inappropriate to comment further on the detail of those discussions”.<\/p>\n

In a joint statement, the authorities said the future of the site would be guided by the “objective of securing the optimum long-term strategic, economic and community benefit for the Galway Metropolitan Area and wider region”.<\/p>\n

It is understood meetings with prospective bidders will take place in the coming week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local Authorities in Galway are being urged to safeguard the future of an aviation facility in the county,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418230,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-418229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}