Black Ash Bus Interchange Gets Green Light, Promising Major Boost for Cork Airport Connectivity

Cork Airport has warmly welcomed the decision by Cork City Council to approve the new bus interchange at Black Ash, hailing it as a significant step forward for public transport in the region. The new facility is poised to dramatically improve access to the airport, particularly for those travelling from the north, east, and west suburbs of the city.

The approval paves the way for a substantial increase in services. It is anticipated that the number of buses serving the airport will double, with frequency increasing from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes. A new Route 13 is also planned, which will connect Cork Airport to Kent Station via the new interchange, offering improved cross-city travel options for passengers.

Managing Director of Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, expressed his support for the project:

"The redevelopment and expansion of the Black Ash Park & Ride/Bus Interchange is good news for Cork city, Cork Airport and the wider region. We have been actively engaging on public transport improvements for Cork Airport for some time and have made focused submissions on this matter.

In short, when delivered, we expect a doubling of the number of airport bus services, with services running every 15 minutes to the city centre (rather than every 30 minutes at present) with a new route 13 planned from Cork Airport to Kent Station via the interchange.

There will also be better cross-city interconnection options through Black Ash and then onwards to the airport. There's more to do in improving public transport links with our airport and in our region but this is certainly a great step in the right direction and warm congratulations to Cork City Council, National Transport Authority (NTA) and Bus Éireann.”

While this development is a major boost, Cork Airport continues to push for further enhancements. The airport is actively engaging with transport providers to establish 24/7 bus services to and from the city centre, catering for passengers on early morning and late-night flights.

Furthermore, there are ongoing efforts to expand direct bus routes from other key locations in Munster, with proposals to add a final stop at Cork Airport on services from Waterford, Tipperary, and Kerry.

Looking to the future, the airport has also made a formal submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to safeguard a potential light rail route connecting to a future east-west Cork LUAS line.