
Cork Airport named best in Europe for third time
Cork Airport was named the best airport in Europe, under five million passengers, at the Airport Council International (ACI) Europe Best Airport Awards held in Athens on Thursday night.
It is the third time Cork Airport has won the award, having won it previously in 2017 and 2019. The award acknowledges Cork's excellence in passenger experience, operational efficiency, route development, sustainability and innovation.
"This recognition is thoroughly deserved," Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe director general, said. "The airport team has worked tirelessly to enhance operational efficiency, offer exceptional passenger experience, and deliver on ambitious environmental and sustainability goals.
Their success is clearly reflected in increased air connectivity and passenger numbers, which means a growing contribution from the airport to the regional economy, tourism and competitiveness.
Last year, Cork Airport saw 10% passenger growth to 3.2 million passengers, forecast to rise this year to 3.4 million passengers.
In May, it announced a €200m investment by Dublin Airport Authority in the development of new infrastructure, including an extended mezzanine floor, larger duty-free shop, bigger executive lounge, additional car park spaces, more boarding gates, new aircraft stands, and a new pier to facilitate growth up to five million passengers.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin congratulated Cork Airport. "It is clear that Cork Airport is going from strength to strength every year and this award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of Niall MacCarthy and all his team there."
Niall MacCarthy, Cork Airport's managing director, said: 'This award is a fantastic endorsement of the incredible people who make Cork Airport what it is — from our frontline teams to those behind the scenes, and everyone in between. It's also a reflection of the strong partnerships we've built with all our stakeholders, and the loyalty of our passengers who continue to choose Cork Airport.'
Dublin Airport Authority chief executive Kenny Jacobs said the award was a huge recognition of the brilliant team on the ground.
"This award's not just for the airport — it's for Cork, for Munster, and for Ireland. We have big plans for Cork, and this is a great boost," he said.
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They will continue, and both tenants and landlords will have the same rights as they do today. I have a rental property in Cork that was voluntarily vacated by the tenants a few weeks ago. It is rent-capped currently at €1,050 per month. The market rent is approx €1,800 per month. I intend to re-let the property and I'm in the process of doing a few improvement works so it should be ready to re-let say next month. Am I better off keeping the property vacant until the new rental rules kick in, on March 1st next year? We have answered this already, but a key phrase here is 'a few improvement works'. Under the existing rules, there is an exemption if a landlord carries out a substantial change to the property, so it would very much depend on what you mean by 'improvements'. A lick of paint will not allow you to increase the rent beyond the 2 per cent if you are in an RPZ, but a dramatic remodelling might, which would make the question moot. I have a property let since 2015 to four teachers. I also have a mortgage on the property. I have not raised the rent since 2015, but the original tenants have all moved out and the current occupiers have replaced the originals over time. What obligation do I have to these new occupiers, as none of them signed the original lease? You might need to get legal advice with regard to what tenancy rights the occupants have, but you would be wrong to assume that just because an existing tenant has not signed a lease, they have no rights. Someone who has been living in the property with the agreement of the landlord and paying rent as agreed would almost certainly be classified as a legal tenant, with all the rights that brings. I've been renting a three-bed house for my family of four for 10 years, while also renting out my own small two-bed apartment to a lone parent with one child. The rent I'm paying goes up every year, but is nowhere near the market rate, and the same applies to my tenant. If my landlord resets my rent in six years to the market rate, it would double, and if I reset the rent also, my tenants' rent would double too. Neither of us can afford this, and in such circumstances I would be forced to evict my tenant and squeeze my family into a small two-bed apartment. In that case, where would my tenant and child go? How does it all make sense? If you and the person you are renting to are existing tenants with existing leases, then the new rules will not apply. When will we have a clear picture of what the changes mean? The changes require legislation to be published, and when the legislation is ready there will be a detailed communications campaign run by the Department of Housing and the PRTB to make sure all landlords and tenants are fully aware of all the changes. But landlords and tenants in existing rental arrangements do not have to worry too much about what might happen next, and they have some time and space in which they can figure out how the changes might impact them for any rental agreements drawn up after March 1st next year. The PRTB website should be the first port of call for anyone looking for answers.