European capitals and New York top priorities for future connectivity for Cork’s business community

European capital cities and New York emerged as the top priorities for future connectivity from Cork Airport for business travellers, according to the results of Cork Chamber’s Cork Airport Survey 2026.

The survey, conducted by Cork Chamber in partnership with Cork Airport, captures a snapshot of businesses’ current route preferences and priorities for future connectivity, as well as business travellers’ satisfaction with broader airport services and operations in Cork.  

The survey found that:

• European hubs, including London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, continue to be the most popular destinations from Cork for business travel.

• New York emerged as the most sought-after destination for future connectivity, from both a business and inbound tourism perspective.

• When travelling long-haul, half of all respondents indicated that the Americas was the region they conducted business with most frequently (50%), followed by Asia/Middle East (17%)

• Berlin, Copenhagen and Madrid emerged as top priorities for future connectivity in Europe.

• Over 30% of respondents cited a European capital as their top priority for future business connectivity from Cork.

• 87% of respondents indicated that direct connectivity into Cork was extremely important or very important for colleagues travelling from overseas.

• The majority of responding businesses would use a direct Cork to Belfast route if available, with 52% likely to do so at least quarterly.

Conor Healy, Cork Chamber CEO, stated, "Cork Airport is a critical enabler of connectivity across the southern region and has a vital role to play in enhancing the region’s economic competitiveness into the future, as well as continuing to support inbound tourism to the region. From a business perspective, future connectivity to European capital cities like Berlin, Copenhagen and Madrid, as well as destinations in North America, continues to be a top priority. A direct Cork to Belfast route also emerged as an important priority for businesses in the region, enabling enhanced cross-border trade and tourism links.

"European hubs, particularly London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, continue to be the most frequently used routes for business travellers, with many availing of onward connections to long-haul destinations. When travelling long-haul, half of all respondents reported conducting business in the Americas most frequently, demonstrating the importance of enhanced connectivity to the US and Canada.

"What emerged clearly from the survey results was the importance of direct connectivity into Cork for businesses operating across the region. The southern region is home to a broad range of multinationals and large domestic enterprises, many of whom value proximity to Cork Airport for its high level of service."

Niall MacCarthy, Cork Airport Managing Director, commented, "Cork Airport is continuously seeking to enhance its passenger offering and the survey results indicate a high level of satisfaction with airport services among business travellers, with ease of use and customer service rated highly by respondents.

"We are delivering an expansion of airport facilities currently and we will open our new mezzanine floor security area and our car park extension in December of this year. We have further capital expansion underway for next year and Ireland’s largest solar car port will go live at Cork Airport in 2027. The timing of these capital developments coincides with 20 years since our terminal building opened to the general public. With these new facilities, we expect to return to strong growth in 2027 reinforcing Cork’s position as the largest airport in Ireland with the most routes, outside of Dublin."

Read the results in full HERE.