Donegal Airport

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Donegal Airport

Aerfort Dhún na nGall
DonegalAirport.png
Donegal Carrickfin Airport - Terminal entrance - geograph.org.uk - 1174804.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorAirports Donegal
ServesCounty Donegal
LocationCarrickfinn
Elevation AMSL30 ft / 9 m
Coordinates55°02′39″N 008°20′28″W / 55.04417°N 8.34111°W / 55.04417; -8.34111 (Donegal Airport)Coordinates: 55°02′39″N 008°20′28″W / 55.04417°N 8.34111°W / 55.04417; -8.34111 (Donegal Airport)
Websitewww.donegalairport.ie
Map
CFN is located in Ireland
CFN
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 16-17Increase5.3%
Aircraft Movements1,868
Movements change 16-17Increase0.4%
Source: Irish AIS[1] Passengers[2]

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.

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[citation needed].

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 and Flybe 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). The service was operated using an ATR 42-600 (reg nos. EI-GEV) from 2018 until the demise of Stobart Air, in June 2021.

2020s[]

Stobart Air ceased flights from Donegal in 2021.

In July 2021, Amapola Flyg a Swedish regional airline was awarded the PSO route from Dublin to Donegal, as a temporary measure following the demise of Stobart Air. The contract was awarded for a span of 7 months from July 2021 until February 2022.


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
Amapola Flyg Dublin[10][11]
Loganair Glasgow (ends 29 October 2021)[12]

Statistics[]

See source Wikidata query and sources.

Passenger numbers
Year Passengers Numbers % Change
2008 65,539
2009 50,761 Decrease22.5%
2010 46,825 Decrease7.8%
2011 38,309 Decrease18.1%
2012 29,226 Decrease23.7%
2013 33,768 Increase15.5%
2014 35,415 Increase4.9%
2015 36,552 Increase3.2%
2016 44,156 Increase 20.8%
2017 46,514 Increase 5.3%
Source: Central Statistics Office[2]

Airport data[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b EIDL – DONEGAL (PDF). AIP and charts from the Irish Aviation Authority.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "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.[permanent dead link]
  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
  10. ^ "Get ready for take off – Flights resume at Donegal Airport today". highlandradio.com.
  11. ^ https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/swedish-airline-will-fly-dublin-donegal-route-1.4621713
  12. ^ https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/loganair-to-resume-international-flights-in-2022-30163

External links[]

Media related to Donegal Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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