New €11m. Knock airport runway is officially opened

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has officially opened the new €11.2 million resurfaced runway at Ireland West Airport Knock.

Leo Varadkar performed the ribbon cutting ceremony after it was blessed by Fr. Richard Gibbons, P.O., Knock.

Funded by up to 75% by State aid, the project was carried out by hundreds of construction workers during times when the runway was free of aviation traffic.

In his address, the Fine Gael leader underlined his government's commitment to the facility.

It is the first time the runway has been refurbished since the airport opened in 1985.

Mr. Varadkar was presented with a bottle of holy water from the Marian Shrine by Fr. Gibbons who said he hoped it would be useful during Brexit talks with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in New York next week.

Over 800,000 passengers are expected to travel through Ireland West Airport in 2019.