Kerry Airport returned to profit in 2021, recording an after-tax surplus of just under €2.5 million, according to its latest annual report.
The airport operator said passenger numbers on its Kerry to Dublin route, which was formerly a public service obligation (PSO) route subsidised by the State, have recovered well while private jet use at the Farranfore facility has also been strong. The PSO route formerly operated by Stobart Air is now run on a commercial basis by Ryanair.
In the 12 months to the end of May this year, numbers on the Ryanair service to Dublin run were up 27 per cent, the airport said.
The airport’s turnover rose to €3.6 million during the year, up from €3.4 million in 2020. This was in spite of Covid-19 restrictions being in place on air travel for much of last year. Passenger numbers rose from 82,959 in 2020 to 115,398 in 2021, the airport said. Fuel sales, car park income and gift shop revenue all roughly doubled during the year but income from “aviation services” fell by almost €500,000.
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Commenting on the financials and the ongoing operations of the airport for the year, chief executive of Kerry Airport John Mulhern said: “Recovery is under way in 2022 and better days are ahead for Kerry Airport. By no means will we reach the levels of activity we enjoyed in 2019 this year, but certainly we can proclaim with much conviction that the doldrums of the past two years are, for now, behind us.”
Addressing the loss of the Kerry-Dublin PSO route following the collapse of Stobart Air in June 2021, Mr Mulhern said: “Despite our unabated efforts to support the airline and our very public campaign to reinstate a new carrier, the PSO programme is no longer available to us presently.
“Ryanair have stepped in and taken on the route on a commercial basis. Under EU legislation, once a commercial operator takes over a route, no Government can financially support it. Ryanair have made every effort to recover the route and recent passenger numbers exceed even the numbers experienced in 2019 when it was at its most successful.”
The annual general meeting of Kerry Airport will take place in Tralee on July 5th.
