William Bolster hails potential of Waterford Airport as redevelopment gets underway
Mr Bolster was speaking at the official sod-turning ceremony at Waterford Airport
The Chief Executive of Waterford Airport, William Bolster, has praised the potential of the airport as its redevelopment gets underway.
Mr Bolster was speaking at the airport’s official sod-turning ceremony, which was held on Monday morning.
Speaking to the media outside the airport, Mr Bolster highlighted the significance of the event.
He stated: “Look, it is a massive milestone day today and I suppose even myself, I probably didn’t realise the significance of it until I pulled up here. To see everyone here to support it is great.
“It’s been a long hard journey, a lot of ups and more downs but today is hopefully the start of the up days.”
Mr Bolster went on to outline what the redevelopment of the airport will entail, as well as his efforts to attract commercial flights to the location.
“Basically, what this project is going to deliver is a full international airport.
“It’s going to a 2.3 kilometre long runway, 45 metres wide and you’re going to be able to fly commercially, hopefully to destinations that we can agree with airlines.
“Airlines haven’t agreed anything with us yet. That process has already started so we are going to talk to various airlines with a view to having Summer ’27 flights.”
He went on to say that he would “love” to see Ryanair agree to run commercial flights from Waterford, but warned that Michael O’Leary “might have something to say about that”.
Mr Bolster also highlighted the fact that 680,000 people live within a 50-minute drive of Waterford Airport.
Asked about the presence of Ministers of State John Cummins and Mary Butler at the event, he said he had a “love-hate relationship when it comes to things like that”.
Mr Bolster continued: “But look, we have to draw a land in the sand and say ‘okay what happened before is what it is, now we have to focus on going forward’.
“In fairness to the likes of Minister Cummins, he has helped to get both the FDI process done during the changeover of the company but also helped us get on the national aviation policy going forward which is very significant for the airport going forward.
“So we hope we will have a good relationship with them [the Government] because up to now, it hasn’t been great.”
He also outlined how talks with the airport’s new private investor, who has not been officially named but is widely understood to be US billionaire Kelcy Warren, transpired.
“As a fella says ‘you always have to have a few horses in the race’, so I was talking to the investor for many months before that.
“That had its ups and downs as well, that we couldn’t agree a deal but I suppose what really concentrated the mind was the famous meeting at the end of June with the Government. That really concentrated the mind where we got to do a deal.”
Asked what Mr Warren sees in the airport, he outlined the benefits that an airport can bring to an entire region.
“The answer to that is you look at any airport, in any country, in any part of the world and that answers it really.
“The amount of infrastructure, employment that goes on in any airport, that’s what investors see, including myself.
“That’s why I stuck at it for so long myself. I know the potential of this place and we’re just going to prove it now.
“Investors and business people are passionate about investment.”
Whilst refusing to name Mr Warren, Mr Bolster concluded by saying that the private investor trust him to “get the job done”.