Latest news with #passengercap
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Past time to lift Dublin passenger cap say American carriers
It is 'past time' for the Government to axe the controversial cap limiting Dublin Airport to 32 million passengers a-year, North American airlines warned on Wednesday. Airlines for America (A4A), whose members include US and Canadian carriers that fly to Dublin, said in a statement that it was bewildered at the cap remains despite Government pledges to lift it and widespread business condemnation of the planning condition. 'It is past time for the Irish Government to show leadership on this matter and take steps to remove the cap which hinders commerce, disrupts the seamless facilitation of passengers and threatens economic growth, jobs and tourism on both sides of the Atlantic,' said the group. 'It is critical that this matter be resolved swiftly to avoid long-term damage to the US-Ireland relationship, the aviation market and the broader transatlantic economy.' READ MORE A4A's comments follow a warning from Willie Walsh , the International Air Transport Association's Irish director general, that the cap was angering US airlines. Michael O'Leary , Ryanair chief executive, this week also renewed calls on the Government to lift the cap, a measure included in the Programme for Government.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Dublin Airport passenger cap causing ‘quite a bit of anger' among US airlines
Ireland's image as a location for investment by international airlines has been 'tarnished' as a result of the battles over the passenger cap at Dublin Airport , according to Willie Walsh , the Irishman who is director general of IATA , the Geneva-based airline representative body. Speaking to Inside Business, a podcast from The Irish Times, Mr Walsh said the cap was 'viewed with ridicule when I talk to some CEOs as to how it can be that Ireland invests in terminal infrastructure, invests in [new] runways, and then has a cap on how many passengers can use the airport. 'In effect, you're looking at a situation where Dublin has lower capacity with two runways than it had with a single runway,' he said. At present, Dublin is subject to a cap limiting the number of passengers at Dublin Airport to 32 million a year. This flows from a planning restriction dating back to 2007. The cap has effectively been paused following various legal challenges and is awaiting a ruling from European courts. READ MORE IATA Director General Willie Walsh on airline profits, air fares and why the Dublin Airport passenger cap makes Ireland a laughing stock Listen | 35:56 This week host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Willie Walsh, the director general of IATA, the Geneva-based representative group for the airline will be known to you as the Irish man who was a high-profile chief executive of both Aer Lingus and British then became head of IAG, which is the parent group to both of those airlines plus some Spanish carriers, including now in charge of IATA, with his contract set to run until hear Willie talk about airline profits and whether air fares are likely to go up or down in the near spoke about aviation's role in reducing harmful carbon emissions and the chances of a climate-friendly biofuel being developed for commercial gives his view on why emerging markets such as India and burgeoning economies in Africa are entitled to grow their airline industries and passenger traffic as they become also expresses his frustrations with the inefficient way air traffic control is managed in Willie explains why, in his view, Ireland has become something of a laughing stock on the international stage over the legal battles being fought around the Dublin Airport passenger cap. In his view, this is hindering growth here and jeopardising foreign direct investment. And the 63-year-old talks about his plans for retirement, which could include Italian wine. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. DAA expects 36 million passengers to use Dublin Airport this year. Mr Walsh, a former CEO of both Aer Lingus and British Airways, is aware of airlines who had Ireland 'on their agenda in terms of expansion who are now questioning whether they should go forward with that because of these issues'. 'It is having an impact on how people are considering expanding into Ireland. What a lot of airlines want, particularly long haul international airlines, is certainty about being able to have access next year and the year after and the year after. 'What we call grandfather rights with slots that will enable them to publish a schedule that they know will be consistent for years ahead. With the uncertainty around the cap, it's going to be quite damaging when airlines are looking at expanding their long haul networks.' He said the cap had caused 'quite a bit of anger' among US carriers, who view Ireland as an opportunity for expansion. Mr Walsh said using Cork or Shannon airports would not appeal to airlines as an alternative to Dublin. 'Airlines look at the airport they want to serve, they look at the city they want to serve and if Dublin Airport is not available, they're not going to say 'there's this great airport in the west of Ireland called Shannon which is under utilised, plenty of capacity, why don't you fly there'. 'It just won't register on their map. If they were attracted to Shannon ... they would have been there already but that's not the case.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Dublin Airport will eventually exceed 40 million passengers a year, Minister for Transport predicts
Imposing annual passenger caps on Dublin Airport will be 'arbitrary' as even the 40 million cap being sought by airport operator DAA will be surpassed within a short period, Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien says. The cap of 32 million passengers a year, which has been in place since 2008, was breached in 2023 and 2024. Mr O'Brien said the number of passengers passing through the airport was likely to exceed 36 million this year. He said it was a clear aim in the Programme for Government to end the restriction on passenger numbers. READ MORE 'I want to see the cap in Dublin Airport removed. I think any artificial stifling of growth within Dublin Airport, it would be counterproductive for the country,' he said. Last week, Fingal County Council, which is the local authority with responsibility for the airport, issued an enforcement notice that gave DAA a two-year period to comply with the planning conditions imposed by An Bord Pleanála in 2008. However, there is a High Court-imposed stay pending the outcome of proceedings taking by a number of airlines against the cap. Mr O'Brien said that stay was likely to remain until the second half of next year. He said the Government was now working on a new National Aviation Policy to address the issues of the volume of traffic around the State's main airport hub. He said a key ruling by An Bord Pleanála on night flights at the airport – expected within weeks – would be critical. At present no flights are allowed to take off from or land on the north runway between 11pm and 7am. The night-time movements of aircraft in the airport are restricted to 65 overall. DAA has applied for those restrictions to be eased and there is expectation that aircraft will be allowed on the north runway between 6am and midnight daily. This change has been strongly opposed by residents living in St Margaret's and The Ward, two communities located at the perimeter of the airport. Mr O'Brien, a TD for the constituency, said he was very conscious of the concerns of those communities and the challenges they faced. 'I've been at pains to say to DAA to operate under the good neighbour principle,' he said. He said some people in the St Margaret's area were in effect living right beside the runway. He said the airport should improve its voluntary purchase package as the impact was significant on a small number of households. 'They can't be forgotten,' he said. However, Mr O'Brien said the airport needed to expand and that included passenger numbers. He said if decision on night flights was in favour of expanding the hours then that would help passenger numbers grow. 'A total of 3 per cent of GDP comes from activity around the airport campus. It's a critical driver for economic growth, and supports about 20,000 jobs directly and about 130,000 indirect jobs.' He said basing numbers on forward projections over 10 years the number of passengers would exceed 40 million each year before then. 'One should ask the question, if DAA applies for a passenger cap of 40 million how long will that last? Is that cap going to be [surpassed]? Therefore should you have an arbitrary cap?' Mr O'Brien also said he had consulted Attorney General Rossa Fanning and may bring forward legislation to prevent what he sees as overly restrictive limits. He said the cap was put in 2008 as a response to inadequate transport infrastructure at the airport. He said the situation had changed since then, with a change in terms of roads, public transport and access.
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Fingal council not only party to blame for farce of Dublin Airport passenger cap
Under a planning restriction imposed by Fingal County Council dating from 2007, Dublin Airport's passenger numbers are supposed to be capped at 32 million a year. But, as we all know, this restriction is pure fiction. More than 33 million passengers went through the doors of the airport last year and 36 million-plus are expected to use it this year as a result of court rulings that have put a stay on the cap while we await a ruling from Europe . It's an Irish solution to an Irish problem. To add to the confusion and mess, the council this week issued an enforcement notice to DAA on foot of complaints by local residents. Nobody comes out of this shambles well. Government should have moved long ago to sort out the cap and remove planning regulation of Dublin Airport from the remit of the council. Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien promised a solution on taking office in January, but none has emerged to date. READ MORE DAA described Fingal's enforcement notice as a 'sorry indictment of the mess that is the Irish planning system, particularly when it comes to the most vital piece of transport infrastructure on this island'. That might be so, but it is also an indictment of DAA's dithering over 16 years before submitting an infrastructure application in December 2023 that would allow it to increase traffic through Dublin Airport. And it is not a good look for a state-owned company to breach legally binding planning rules. [ `Zombie' Dublin Airport passenger cap could be removed by legislation Opens in new window ] Willie Walsh, the former Aer Lingus and IAG chief who is now head of Geneva-based airlines trade body IATA, has said we are a laughing stock internationally, with people scratching their heads as to why a small island nation on the edge of western Europe that relies heavily on foreign direct investment would be tying itself up in knots with a cap on growth at its biggest international airport. He's not wrong.
BreakingNews.ie
20-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Dublin Airport warned over passenger cap breach
Dublin Airport has been issued with a warning over breaching its passenger cap. A 32 million passenger cap, a planning condition issued by the airport's local authority, has come under legal and political scrutiny. Advertisement Airlines, including Ryanair and Aer Lingus, have called for the cap to be removed to promote economic and tourism growth, while others have said that Ireland's efforts to reduce its emissions will be hampered by lifting the restriction. Fingal County Council said on Friday it had issued an enforcement notice to airport operator DAA, giving it two years to comply with the planning conditions. A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: 'The two-year period provides an opportunity for DAA to progress their planning applications to increase passenger capacity at Dublin Airport or take such other steps as they consider appropriate to achieve compliance.' Planning permissions granted in 2008 for the construction of Terminal 2 and the extension of Terminal 1 stated that the combined capacity of both terminals must not exceed 32 million passengers a year. Advertisement The council received complaints that these planning conditions were breached in 2023 and 2024. The planning authority's enforcement unit initiated a formal investigation to assess compliance with the conditions. The DAA was provided with an opportunity to respond, which it did. Fingal County Council said it acknowledged there were 'operational complexities', but said the information submitted by the DAA does not constitute sufficient grounds to prevent further action. Advertisement The council said the investigation determined that a breach of the relevant planning conditions 'has occurred and remains ongoing'. As a result, the enforcement notice was issued to the airport by Fingal County Council, giving Dublin Airport two years to bring its operations into compliance.
