Donegal Airport

Donegal Airport (Irish: Aerfort Dhún na nGall) (IATA: CFN, ICAO: EIDL) is located 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi)[1] south-west of Bunbeg in Carrickfinn, a townland in The Rosses, a district in north-west County Donegal, Ireland. The airport is on the county's north-west coast. about a 15-minute drive from Dungloe and Gweedore and 45 minutes from Letterkenny. It is popularly known within County Donegal as Carrickfinn Airport.

Donegal Airport

Aerfort Dhún na nGall
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorAirports Donegal
ServesCounty Donegal
LocationCarrickfinn
Elevation AMSL30 ft / 9 m
Coordinates55°02′39″N 008°20′28″W
Websitewww.donegalairport.ie
Map
CFN
Location of airport in Ireland
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 1,496 4,908 Bitumen/Macadam
Statistics (2017)
Passengers46,514
Passenger change 16-175.3%
Aircraft Movements1,868
Movements change 16-170.4%
Source: Irish AIS[1] Passengers[2]

Due to the large gas field in the area, non-scheduled chartered helicopter flights connect the multiple offshore installations to the airport. Eastern Airways operate a chartered service to Aberdeen for this purpose.

History

20th century

Until the mid-1980s, the runway was a grass strip. This was replaced by a hard surface runway with temporary buildings. The airport started operations in 1986 and was developed with funds and assistance from the Government of Ireland, private investors, Donegal County Council, the International Fund for Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund. In the 1990s the runway was extended to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and a new terminal building with modern navigational aids and equipment was added.

2000s

On 21 February 2007, the Irish Government announced that it would be giving €3.8 million to the airport in capital grant money. Domestic service to Dublin was established by Aer Arann.[3] Aer Arann operated flights to Cork via Dublin in 2009 until they reduced their Cork-Dublin service to six times per week. The route closed in March 2010.[4] In February 2010, Aer Arann closed its service to Glasgow Prestwick Airport and relocated to Glasgow International Airport.[5]

Late 2000s and early 2010s, CityJet operated a Saturday seasonal charter flight to Rotterdam between April and September using a Fokker 50.[6]

2010s

Service to Dublin was operated from 2012 to 2015 by Loganair using a Saab 340 which rotated via Glasgow to provide aircraft and crew replenishment. Stobart Air, operating as Aer Lingus Regional received public service obligation funding from the Irish Government to subsidise the route to Dublin. A contract was awarded in 2014, and the service commenced on 1 March 2015, using an ATR 42-300 (reg nos. EI-CBK or EI-EHH). As of March 2018, the route is operated by a -600 series aircraft instead (reg nos. EI-GEV).

The airport was voted the world's most scenic landing spot in 2018, 2019, and 2020.[7][8]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Donegal:[9]

AirlinesDestinations
Aer Lingus Regional Dublin
Loganair Glasgow

Statistics
Passenger numbers
Year Passengers Numbers % Change
200865,539
200950,76122.5%
201046,8257.8%
201138,30918.1%
201229,22623.7%
201333,76815.5%
201435,4154.9%
201536,5523.2%
201644,156 20.8%
201746,514 5.3%
Source: Central Statistics Office[2]

Airport data

References
  1. EIDL – DONEGAL (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation Authority.
  2. "Aviation Statistics 2016". Central Statistics Office. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. "Editorial: Dempsey announces PSO contracts for regional air routes". www.breakingnews.ie. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  4. "Editorial: Aer Arann wings in new routes across Ireland". Irish Examiner. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  5. AER ARANN ANNOUNCE NEW ROUTE TO GLASGOW
  6. "Press Release: New 2008 Chartered Air Service from the Netherlands to Donegal Announced". Fáilte Ireland. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  7. "Donegal Airport named as the world's most beautiful landing spot". donegalnow.com. Donegal Now. 10 April 2018. Donegal Airport has been named the world’s most beautiful landing spot by global travel fans
  8. "Donegal Airport voted most scenic in the world for second year running". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  9. donegalairport.com - Timetables retrieved 12 May 2019

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