Galway Chamber supports campaign to save the runway at Galway Airport
Galway Chamber has thrown its weight behind a campaign to save Galway Airport’s runway.
The business representative organisation’s stance has been welcomed by The Galway Aviation & Innovation Advocacy group, which wants the runway maintained.
As the Galway City and County Councils prepare the airport for an imminent sale, advocates are warning that failing to protect the runway would be a “serious mistake that severely threatens the region's economic future and emergency medical capabilities”.
After receiving a presentation by the advocacy group, Galway Chamber said: “Galway Chamber believes the retention of the runway and airside capability represents an important strategic asset for the region”.
Chairperson of the advocacy group, Fidelma Healy Eames, a former Fine Gael senator, welcomed the Chamber’s support.
“Their statement dovetails with our own findings – our group has received strong letters of support from CEOs of many Galway-based companies appealing for the re-purposing of the Galway Airport site for business aviation and warning that permanent loss of air access to Galway for business aviation would impact negatively on future investment,” she said.
The advocacy group claimed replacing this national asset – which is nearly as long as the runway at London City Airport – would cost up to €100 million.
To get rid of it, the group said, would be “akin to what happened to our railways fifty odd years ago”.
The group argued that significant new developments have emerged since the Councils first called for Expressions of Interest in May 2025, which justify pausing the sale for review.
These include The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) which recently sought a lease at the airport; one of Europe’s largest commercial flight training academies, which trains pilots, is seeking to establish a Galway base; and national defence.
The group also noted that Galway Airport lands “present a unique opportunity to future proof our region by developing an airside-enabled, multi-sectoral Innovation and start-up campus at this location”.
The Galway Aviation & Innovation Advocacy group appealed to both Councils to either make a functioning runway a mandatory condition of the upcoming sale, or maintain it in public ownership.
Galway Chamber said it supports exploring a feasibility study to determine how the site can best serve Galway’s long-term economic development, innovation, and resilience – a task the advocacy group believes the Councils should immediately undertake.
“We remain eager to share learnings and are open to engaging with all stakeholders to ensure this vital infrastructure is optimised for Galway's long-term health, wealth, and regional competitiveness,” Ms Healy Eames said.