Ireland West Airport Knock (IATA: NOC, ICAO: EIKN) or Aerfort na Connacht in Irish, is located near Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. 621,171 passengers used the airport in 2006. 2007 is set to be a good year for the airport, following the introduction of new air links to the United States. Flyglobespan, a Scottish low-fares carrier are to inaugurate new links between Ireland West Airport Knock and Boston & JFK Airport, New York. This year also sees the commencement of new European services- Ryanair inaugurated flights to Nottingham East Midlands Airport while XL Airways shall commence charters to Bourgas, Bulgaria. In May 2007, Ryanair announced a new scheduled service to Bristol commencing in November 2007. The airport was formerly known as Knock International Airport, Connacht Regional Airport, and Horan International Airport.Connaught Aero Club and Shoreline Aviation are also based at the airport. Image File history File links KnockAirportLogo. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... Base layer of asphalt concrete in a road under construction. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... Charlestown (in Irish, Baile Chathail) is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ... Flyglobespan Boeing 737-683 registered G-CDKD, landing on Runway 05 Glasgow International Airport, Scotland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA Airport Code: JFK, ICAO Airport Code: KJFK) is the main international airport in New York City, and is one of the largest airports in the world. ... NY redirects here. ... Ryanair (ISEQ: RYA, LSE: RYA, NASDAQ: RYAAY) is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin. ... Nottingham East Midlands Airport (IATA: EMA, ICAO: EGNX) is an airport in the East Midlands of England, near Castle Donington in Leicestershire. ... XL Airways is a British charter airline with headquarters at Crawley in the United Kingdom, it is part of the XL Leisure Group. ... Burgas (or Bourgas, Bulgarian: Бургас) is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. ... View from Cumberland Basin of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Avon Gorge Bristol (IPA: ) is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London. ...

History and landmark events

The Airport opened for flights on 20 May 1986 following a long campaign by Monsignor James Horan. The airport was intended to bring employment to an impoverished corner of Ireland, as well as allow pilgrims to visit the nearby Roman Catholic Knock Shrine which commemorates an apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1879. May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Monsignor is an ecclesiastical honorific title for clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. ... // James Horan (May 5, 1911 - August 1, 1986) born in Party, County Mayo, a late Parish Priest of Knock. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Altar sculpture at Knock, based on accounts of the apparition. ... Generally, an apparition is act or instance of appearing. ... The term Virgin Mary has several different meanings: Mary, the mother of Jesus, the historical and multi-denominational concept of Mary Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic theological and doctrinal concept of Mary Marian apparitions shrines to the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary in Islam, the Islamic theological and doctrinal concept... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

There is however some mystery surrounding the contributions made to provide funding for the airport. Due to the size of the runway, it was always speculated that funding was provided from the United states government to ensure that should another European war break out they would have a landing strip where they would be able to stop for refuelling coming to and from the United states. Though this still remains speculation. To quote from that famous Christy Moore song "Did NATO donate the dough my boy? Did NATO donate the dough!"

In June 2003 hundreds of people gathered at Knock International Airport to view a Boeing 747 land with 500 returning pilgrims from Lourdes. The aircraft stood as high as the Airport's Air Traffic Control tower. It was the second of its type to land since the airport's establishment. The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ... Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes Lourdes (real Occitan name Lorda) is a town situated in the Southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department, lying in the first Pyrenean foothills. ...

The airport was voted Ireland's best regional airport in 2004 and again in 2006 by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland. Chambers of commerce are business advocacy groups which are usually not associated with government. ...

On 18 January 2005 Mrs Margaret Mary Hawksworth from Wilmslow, Cheshire became the 3 millionth passenger to have used the airport since it first opened in 1986 and arrived on a bmibaby flight from Manchester. January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In Janaury 2007, the airport announced the commencement in May 2007 of scheduled transatlantic services to New York and Boston operated by Flyglobespan. NY redirects here. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Flyglobespan Boeing 737-683 registered G-CDKD, landing on Runway 05 Glasgow International Airport, Scotland. ...

In April 2007, Ryanair celebrated its 2,500,000th passenger at the airport. Ryanair (ISEQ: RYA, LSE: RYA, NASDAQ: RYAAY) is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin. ...

On May 27th 2007 the first departure to JFK.

On May 30th 2007 the airport had two transalantic arrivals from Boston and JFK and the first departure to Boston.

Airlines and destinations

• Aer Arann (Dublin)
• bmibaby (Birmingham, Manchester)
• flyglobespan (Boston, New York-JFK)
• Ryanair (London-Luton, London-Stansted, Bristol, East Midlands)
• Thomas Cook (Plovdiv)
• XL Airways (Bourgas)

MyTravelLite launched their Knock to Birmingham service in March 2003 and celebrated 100,000 passengers on the route in April 2004 but terminated the route in April 2005. In March 2004 bmibaby launched services to Manchester and East Midlands, the latter being terminated later. Aer Arann launched their Liverpool service in June 2004 and terminated in 2005 after losing the Dublin Public Service Obligation route. In January 2005 Ryanair and easyJet launched services from London Gatwick and bmibaby launched a service to Birmingham. Aer Arann is a privately-held regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. ... bmibaby is the low-cost airline subsidiary of bmi. ... Flyglobespan Boeing 737-683 registered G-CDKD, landing on Runway 05 Glasgow International Airport, Scotland. ... Ryanair (ISEQ: RYA, LSE: RYA, NASDAQ: RYAAY) is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin. ... Thomas Cook Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) of Melbourne, Derbyshire, founded the travel agency that bears his name. ... XL Airways is a British charter airline with headquarters at Crawley in the United Kingdom, it is part of the XL Leisure Group. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths in April • 18 Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara • 19 Norris McWhirter • 22 Pat Tillman • 24 Estée Lauder Other recent deaths Ongoing events EU Enlargement Exploration of Mars: Rovers Haiti Rebellion Reconstruction of Iraq – Occupation & Resistance Israeli... April 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Hamas and Islamic Jihad have declared, in principle, their intention to join the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). ... bmibaby is the low-cost airline subsidiary of bmi. ... Nottingham East Midlands Airport (IATA: EMA, ICAO: EGNX) is an airport in the East Midlands of England, near Castle Donington in Leicestershire. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: June 2004 in sports Deaths in June • 28 Anthony Buckeridge • 26 Naomi Shemer • 26 Yash Johar • 22 Bob Bemer • 22 Thomas Gold • 22 Francisco Ortiz Franco • 16 Thanom Kittikachorn • 10 Ray Charles • 5 Ronald Reagan... This article refers to Public Service Obligations in the field of Transportation. ... 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in January • 29 Ephraim Kishon • 25 Philip Johnson • 23 Johnny Carson • 22 Parveen Babi • 20 Jan Nowak-Jeziorański • 17 Virginia Mayo • 17 Zhao Ziyang • 15... bmibaby is the low-cost airline subsidiary of bmi. ...

Flyglobespan commenced services in May 2007 from Ireland West Airport Knock to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport with three services a week, and Boston's Logan International Airport twice a week. This was the first transatlantic service from the airport. Flyglobespan Boeing 737-683 registered G-CDKD, landing on Runway 05 Glasgow International Airport, Scotland. ... John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK), originally known as Idlewild Airport, is an international airport located in Jamaica, Queens, in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan. ... Logan International Airport with aircraft taking off over harbor Bostons Logan International Airport from the airside lounge of Terminal E, illustrating how the airport is largely surrounded by water. ...

Charter Flights

A growing number of tour operators are now using Ireland West Airport Knock for charter flights. Popular destinations include Portugal and Lanzarote. Charter flights are mainly operated by iberworld, Spanair, Flightline, Futura International Airways, LTE International Airways and Thomas Cook. 2007 sees the first charters between Knock and Bourgas, Bulgaria. They are to be operated by XL Airways' new Irish Division. Lanzarote is also the title of a novella by Michel Houellebecq, translated into English by Frank Wynne. ... Iberworld is an airline based in Spain. ... Spanair S.A. (IATA: JK, ICAO: JKK, and Callsign: Spanair), is an airline based in Palma, Mallorca, Spain. ... Flightline is an airline based at Southend, United Kingdom. ... Futura Boeing 737 at Funchal (Madeira) in February 2003. ... LTE International Airways is an airline based in Spain. ... Thomas Cook Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) of Melbourne, Derbyshire, founded the travel agency that bears his name. ... Burgas (or Bourgas, Bulgarian: Бургас) is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. ... XL Airways is a British charter airline with headquarters at Crawley in the United Kingdom, it is part of the XL Leisure Group. ...

Ground transportation

A shuttle bus service between the airport and Charlestown (3.1 miles/ 5km) links with regular intercity and regional services of the Bus Éireann network. A new bus service between Westport, County Mayo and the airport is due to commence in August 2006. Car hire is available from numerous companies at the airport. Charlestown (in Irish, Baile Chathail) is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. ... Bus Éireann, or Irish Bus, provides bus services in the Republic of Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

New Bus Éireann Routes via Ireland West Airport Knock: Galway/Derry Route via Ireland West Airport Knock • enhancing the existing Galway to Derry service to operate 7 services Galway/Derry and 6 services Derry/Galway daily, all of which would operate via Ireland West Airport Knock WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

Sligo/ Ireland West Airport Knock • introducing 2 new daily return services from Sligo to Ireland West Airport Knock WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

Sligo/Galway via Ireland West Airport Knock • Introducing 1 additional daily return service from Sligo to Galway, that will operate via Ireland West Airport Knock

Letterkenny/Galway via Ireland West Airport Knock • Introducing a daily 6.00am service from Letterkenny to Galway, that will operate via Ireland West Airport Knock Westport/Ireland West Airport Knock • Introducing 1 daily return service from Westport to Ireland West Airport Knock WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... Westport is the name of several communities around the world. ...

Charlestown /Ireland West Airport Knock • Introducing 2 daily return services from Charlestown to Ireland West Airport Knock

Government assistance

On 21 February 2007, the Irish government announced that it was giving €27 million of capital grant money to Ireland West Airport. This includes an extension to the terminal building. The airport intend installing a CAT IIIb ILS for runway 27 and hope to install a CAT I ILS on runway 09 such that diversions in low cloud will be reduced. New security measures will be put in place for the new USA routes starting in May 2007.

Incidents and accidents

• 23 March 2006 - Ryanair Boeing 737-800 on approach to Ireland West, following a flight from London Gatwick Airport, "only marginally avoided controlled flight into terrain" according to the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit. An unbriefed descent as the pilots fixated on reprogramming for a new approach meant they arrived over the airport at 410ft with landing gear and flaps up. They landed successfully at a second attempt. ^[1]

March 23 is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Ryanair (ISEQ: RYA, LSE: RYA, NASDAQ: RYAAY) is an Irish airline headquartered in Dublin. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range, narrow body airliner. ... Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW, ICAO: EGKK) is Londons second largest airport and the second busiest airport in the UK after Heathrow. ...

External links

• Ireland West Airport Knock
• Connaught Aero Club
• Ireland West Tourism
• Ireland North West Tourism
• Airport Business Park
• Google Maps - Ireland West Airport Knock

References

1. ^ Flight International 12-18 December 2006

• World Aero Data airport information for EIKN