Early years The airport's development was initiated by Waterford Corporation, with support from the
Government of Ireland and the private sector, in 1979–1980. The investment was
£1.76 million. Waterford Airport opened in 1981, with a runway for single and twin-engine
light aircraft and a
portable cabin as the
terminal building. The current terminal building was opened in 1992, and the runway was lengthened to .
Avair provided the first domestic passenger service in 1982, as a stop between
Cork and
Dublin Airport. In 1985,
Ryanair launched the company's first international scheduled service from Waterford to
London Gatwick.
Development since the 2000s Waterford Airport celebrated 21 years of scheduled operations in 2006. On 13 March 2007, a €27.5 million upgrade of the airport was announced. Over the next two years the money would be spent on extending the runway to in length, building a new passenger terminal capable of handling one million passengers a year, and introducing scheduled flights to European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Prague and Rome. There was also an expectation of charter flights to Mediterranean holiday resorts. The expansion would mean that air travellers in the southeast of Ireland would have a "credible alternative" to Dublin and Cork airports, according to officials at Waterford Airport. According to the chief executive of Waterford Airport, Graham Doyle, the extended runway was to be in place by summer 2009 and capable of handling large
jet aircraft, including the
Airbus A320 and the
Boeing 737. The fully upgraded and remodelled connecting
regional road R708 from
Waterford city to the airport was completed in early July 2008, reducing the journey time from Waterford city centre to the airport to 10 minutes at off-peak times, and from the outer
ring road,
R470, to the airport to 5 minutes. Passenger numbers through Waterford Airport slumped in 2009, owing to the suspension of routes to Bordeaux, Faro, Málaga and Amsterdam, and to service reductions on routes to Birmingham, London Luton and Manchester. Overall passenger numbers from the UK fell by 9%.
2010s In February 2010, an Economic Impact Assessment of Waterford Airport was published, which highlighted the importance of the airport to the
South East Region.
Noel Dempsey, the
Minister for Transport, announced on 9 March 2010 that owing to difficulties with public finances there would be no funding for the runway extension at the airport, and that security and safety were priorities "in the current financial climate". In November 2012,
Aer Arann announced it would terminate all its routes from Waterford. The airline operating under
Aer Lingus Regional suspended its service to
London Southend,
London Luton and
Manchester on 6 January.
ATR 72 at Waterford On 12 August 2013, it was reported that a 150m extension of the runway would be funded by the
Department of Transport up to a limit of €400,000. The airport itself would have to raise the remaining €850,000 for it to take place. In April 2015, the Belgian airline
VLM Airlines took over the routes to Birmingham and London Luton. However, in June 2016 the airline, having already ceased the route to Birmingham, announced that it would terminate its flights to London Luton at short notice by 13 June 2016, leaving Waterford Airport without any scheduled traffic. In June 2017, after a year without commercial flights, a new airline Aer Southeast announced three new year round services to
London Luton,
Manchester and
Birmingham. These new services were due to commence on 24 July 2017 using
Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. However, due to a licensing issue, these services were never started, and in 2018, the airline shut down. A €12 million plan was announced in June 2019 to extend the airport's runway by 850 metres and revamp the airport. Minister for Transport
Shane Ross was to give the airport €5 million once the extended runway was confirmed and ready for service. Local corporations such as
Glanbia,
Coolmore Stud and Dawn Meats pledged a total of €5 million with €2 million from local authorities. The extended runway would allow medium-sized commercial passenger jet aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to use the airport allowing for commercial use. The airport hopes to attract Ryanair back but for now the company has said it's “no plans for the near future” regarding Waterford.
2020s On 4 February 2022, planning permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála for the runway extension and associated works. Construction was set to be completed by the end of 2022. In August 2022, it was reported that the billionaire Comer brothers agreed a €20 million deal to buy a majority stake in Waterford Airport. On 1 December 2023, it was reported that Comer Group International, in association with Bolster Group, would invest €12 million into the airport. This investment will nearly cover half of the €25 million total cost. The runway is expected to be extended by 854 metres and widened by 15 metres. The upgraded runway will therefore measure 2,287 metres long and 45 metres wide (longer than that of
Cork Airport). The goal of this project is to allow for jet aircraft to land at the airport, and "offer the essential direct connectivity to the region". As of July 2025, the project has yet to commence as the Airport still awaits an approval of €12 million in funding from the government. In July 2025, Ryanair CEO
Michael O'Leary opined that the airport would "never be a commercial proposition", commenting that Waterford was within the two-hour catchment area of Dublin and Cork airports. On 1 October 2025 Bolster Group announced it had secured a comprehensive funding package of over €30 million to deliver the complete capital project, enabling commercial flights to return to Ireland's South East region for the first time since 2016. The privately funded proposal to bring back international flights to Waterford Airport was approved by Waterford City & County Council on Monday 20 October 2025. Concerns have been raised, however, at the continued anonymity of the new investor, and particularly in
Waterford City and County Council's decision to forgive a loan of €670,000, to waive its small minority shareholding in the airport, and to agree to sell €2.3 million worth of public land to the unnamed US investor for just €50,000 as part of the agreement. In November 2025, the general manager of the airport, Aidan Power, reportedly stated that "if contacts are signed, construction work can commence [on the runway] in the first quarter of 2026". Power suggested that, if completed as planned, the "target is to commence flights in the summer of 2027". In December 2025, an Emergency General Meeting voted to begin the liquidation process for Waterford Airport PLC, to transfer assets to Waterford Airport LTD. In March 2026, ahead of a further EGM to approve the vote, the anonymous investor was identified as American billionaire
Kelcy Warren. Runway upgrades are scheduled to begin in April 2026. ==Facilities==