Ryanair is adding seven summer routes from Cork with support from an Irish government-backed airport Covid recovery incentive scheme.
Services to Alghero in Sardinia, Pisa, Valencia, Venice, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh are being introduced.
Flight frequency to Stansted is also being increased to three times a day.
The no-frills carrier will base a third aircraft at Cork airport and create 30 direct jobs.
The airline is scheduled to run more than 120 flights a week to 25 destinations from Cork in the summer, including to Faro, Majorca, Lanzarote and Tenerife.
Cork airport expects to handle more than two million passengers this year, an increase of 750% over 2021, according to managing director Niall MacCarthy.
Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said: “Following Ryanair’s announcement at Dublin airport last month, where Ryanair launched its largest ever summer schedule, we’re delighted to now announce our largest ever summer schedule from Cork, together with the news of an a third based aircraft.
“With support from the Irish government, DAA [owner of Dublin and Cork airports] have been able to implement innovative incentive schemes which are available to all airlines to rebuild and incentivise traffic recovery this summer.
“Ryanair’s latest investment at Cork airport, which will deliver our largest ever summer schedule, has only been possible following the implementation of Cork airport’s traffic recovery incentive scheme for summer ‘22.”
He called for the support measures to be extended at both airports until March 2023 “to ensure that as many Ryanair aircraft as possible remain based in Ireland this winter to support Irish inbound tourism and connectivity”.
Wilson added: “This will ameliorate the damage caused by the pandemic and the government needs to urgently support this vital investment in infrastructure at Irish airports, particularly this winter, to ensure the continuity of airline seat capacity at all Irish airports.”