An extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the current Waterford Airport company is expected to finalise the takeover of the airport by US oil billionaire Kelcy Warren.
Today's meeting will likely pave the way for construction works at the airport to begin in earnest and the eventual resumption of commercial flights to and from the south east of the country.
The shareholders of Waterford Regional Airport Plc are expected to vote to wind up the company, allowing Mr Warren to become the main proprietor of the airport under the newly-formed Waterford Airport Ltd.
A previous EGM in December 2025 began the path towards the existing company’s liquidation.
The decision to liquidate the company will require a 75% approval of the present shareholding.
Shareholders will today be asked to approve the company’s liquidators and to authorise Waterford Airport chairperson, Michael Walsh to take "any such action deemed to aid the company’s liquidation."
Mr Warren, a Texan oil billionaire, is investing in the region of €30 million to €35 million to redevelop Waterford Airport.
Waterford City and County Council gave the green light for the redevelopment plan at a special meeting last October.
The council said the proposal would deliver full airport development works set out in an existing business plan without the need for Government funding.
The project includes extending the existing runway to over 2,200 metres and widening it to 45 metres so that it can accommodate larger aircraft.
The terminal building and ground equipment will also be upgraded while the car parking facilities will be expanded.
Mr Warren subsequently passed a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) screening process.
William Bolster, the largest shareholder in Waterford Regional Airport Plc, has been acting as the key connect between Mr Warren and the current board.
Mr Bolster previously said the decision by the council to back the plan "paves the way to deliver a vital infrastructure project for the south east."
"[This] will not only secure existing jobs but will allow employment to expand with upwards of 100 jobs both on and off site involved during construction," he said.
"Once complete, further jobs will be added as scheduled air traffic proceeds," he added.
Summer 2027 has been earmarked as the possible return date for the return of commercial flights to Waterford Airport following a decade-long hiatus.
Mr Warren is the chief executive and chairperson of Energy Transfer, one of the largest oil and gas pipeline companies in the US.
According to Forbes, Mr Warren has a net worth of $7.8 billion (€6.6 billion), ranking him within the richest 500 people in the world.
The EGM of Waterford Regional Airport Plc will get under way at the Tower Hotel in Waterford city this morning.
