Ryanair celebrate 25 years at Kerry Airport

A QUARTER of a century after it first landed paying passengers in Farranfore, Ryanair marked the occasion with a special birthday celebration at Kerry Airport.

Friends of the airline - and the airport - gathered on Friday to look back on a remarkable history and the success of an ambitious idea that has become of key importance to the county’s economy.

“Ryanair is delighted to celebrate 25 years at Kerry Airport. Ryanair first began operating at Kerry with a route to London Luton and today offers passengers in the Kingdom flights to Alicante, Faro, Frankfurt-Hahn, London Luton and London Stansted,” Ryanair’s Peter Bellew said.

The airport is looking forward to building on its partnership with the airline, Kerry Airport Chairman Denis Cregan said:

“It is a testament to the strong relationship that exists between Kerry Airport and Ryanair that we still have a Ryanir service to Luton some 25 years after the first Luton flight in 1989. We look forward to continuing to build on our partnership, increasing passenger numbers and bringing more tourists to Kerry.”

Ryanair first landed at Kerry in a flight from Luton that included several Kerry natives who had become building magnates in London. The plan departed hours later on the airline’s inaugural Kerry-London flight with, among others, 21 pupils of Knockaderry National School as special guests.

To mark the 25th anniversary, Ryanair is making 100,000 seats across its European network available from £19.99 during June and July.

Martina O’Callaghan and her son Adam with Noel Ryan, Marketing Manager at Kerry Airport, 25 years after she flew on the inaugural Ryanair flight from Kerry to Luton and returned to celebrate the airport’s 25th celebration. Also included in the photo...

Michael Larkin, Carol O’Donoghue and Mike Buckley at the Kerry Airport 25th year celebrations on Friday.