Cork Airport in Ireland has topped the punctuality league among Irish international airports.

Research from global aviation analysts OAG revealed it had retained its position as Ireland’s most punctual airport in 2019, with an on-time performance of 83.7 per cent.

In total, 2.6 million passengers passed through the airport last year and it increased the punctuality of its service in 2019 by +3.5 per cent on its 2018 figures.

The news comes as the Irish airport enters its fifth consecutive year of growth, with passenger numbers to grow by +5 per cent to 2.7 million passengers in 2020.

Speaking on the research, managing director of Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, said: “It is fantastic to see that we have retained our status as the most punctual airport in the country.

“It is key that we maintain the aspects that the public love about Cork Airport — ease of access, convenience, award-winning customer service and minimal wait times.

“We put a lot of time into our processes to ensure Cork Airport delivers on punctuality. What does this mean to us? It means we can confidently say to prospective passengers, ‘your flight is more likely to take off and arrive on time than in any other airport on the island of Ireland’. That is a huge selling point for us.’’

There are over 50 routes on offer from Cork Airport to the UK and continental Europe, along with multiple daily long-haul connections worldwide through major European hub airports.

Two new routes have already been announced for the airport for 2020, with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ new daily service to Amsterdam Schiphol starting from March 30.

Ryanair have also announced a direct flight to the Croatian coastal city of Zadar from Cork Airport commencing in April 2020.