Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, today (Thurs 12 Sept) called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to issue a Direction Letter to the IAA, ordering them to approve additional slots for Dublin airlines in Winter 2024, and again in Summer 2025, while the DAA pursue their planning application to scrap the idiotic 2007 traffic cap, which proports to limit Dublin Airport traffic to 32m passengers because of concerns in 2007 that road traffic around Dublin Airport would collapse when traffic reached 32m passengers.

Ryanair pointed out that Fingal CoCo ignored this planning condition when it approved Dublin Airport’s 2^nd runway, which opened in 2022, and which increases Dublin’s runway capacity to 60m passengers p.a. The solution to this traffic cap crisis is simple. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has the legal power to issue a Ministerial Order to the IAA directing them – in support of Ireland’s Aviation Policy – to approve extra airline slots this winter and again in Summer 2025, in order to promote traffic and connectivity growth.  

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Today’s draft decision by the IAA proports to cut Dublin Airport’s traffic by 1m seats in Summer 2025. This will mean fewer flights, and higher fares for Irish families travelling abroad, and for visitors coming to Ireland. Irish tourism cannot afford to lose 1m visitors in Summer 2025 simply because Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has failed to act.

It’s time for Eamon Ryan’s inaction and incompetence to end. Ryanair has drafted a simple Direction Letter to the IAA (copy attached), which Minister Ryan can issue tomorrow morning, and which would allow Ryanair and other airlines to add extra flights this Winter for Leinster Rugby matches, Lapland Santa Claus flights, and for Irish families returning home to Dublin at Christmas. Minister Eamon Ryan keeps dodging this issue, falsely claiming that there is “nothing he can do”. As usual, Eamon Ryan prefers to do nothing rather than solve transport problems.

We now call on An Taoiseach Simon Harris to intervene in this matter and demand that Eamon Ryan issues a Ministerial Direction to the IAA to approve additional slots for Dublin’s airlines this Winter, and again in Summer 2025. This will allow the DAA the time and space to use the planning process to scrap this idiotic 2007 traffic cap. Even Fingal CoCo ignored this 2007 cap when it gave planning permission for the 2^nd runway, which was opened just 2 years ago, and which takes Dublin Airport’s runway capacity to 60m passengers.

If Eamon Ryan won’t put Irish transport and Irish tourism first, then he should resign his Ministry and allow somebody competent to do the job. Alternatively, An Taoiseach Simon Harris should intervene and insist that the Government issues a Ministerial Direction to the IAA to allow Dublin Airport to continue to grow while the DAA and Fingal CoCo go through the planning process to scrap this idiotic 17 year old traffic cap.”