RYANAIR PLAN TO GROW IRISH TRAFFIC 50% BY 2030 NOW BLOCKED BY ARTIFICIAL DUBLIN AIRPORT TRAFFIC CAP

Ryanair, Ireland’s favourite airline, today (Thurs 29 Feb) briefed the Irish media on its growth plans for Summer 2024. In Summer 2024, Ryanair expects to grow traffic at Ireland’s regional airports, Cork, Shannon & Knock, but sadly Dublin Airport is capped at 32m passengers and therefore cannot grow. Ryanair also criticised plans by the Government owned DAA monopoly who are exploiting this cap with plans to raise airport fees by 45% over the next 3 years to 2026.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary set out Ryanair’s ambitious growth plans for Summer 2024 in Europe. This summer, Ryanair expects to add 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, it will open more than 80 new routes, and it will grow traffic by over 16m passengers from 183.5m to over 200m. Sadly, all of this 16m passenger growth will bypass Dublin, and be delivered in high growth, low-cost European economies, including Spain, Italy, Poland, Morocco, Denmark and Albania, where Governments are lowering taxes and cutting airport charges to recover and/or grow their pre-Covid traffic volumes. However, in Ireland, where a 15-year-old planning restriction imposes an artificial 32m passenger cap at Dublin Airport, there is no room to grow, and the DAA is using this cap to increase airport fees by 45% over the next 3 years (2024 to 2026). It is inevitable given this mismanagement of Irish aviation and tourism that air fares to/from Dublin Airport will rise in S24, as the policy failure of Ireland’s 2 Green Ministers (for Transport and for Tourism) results in traffic caps and stagnation at Dublin Airport. This cap is indefensible when Dublin Airport has just spent €300m to open a 2^nd runway, which doubles Dublin’s capacity to over 60m passengers p.a.

Ryanair today called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin to take urgent action, even on an interim basis, to scrap the Dublin Airport traffic cap. If necessary, the current Govt. of which the Greens are a member, should pass emergency legislation lifting this traffic cap from 32m to 50m passengers p.a. Sadly, Eamon Ryan has shown he is not up to the job. He falsely claims he “cannot interfere” in the planning application of Dublin Airport (to lift this cap), but he has no difficulty interfering in the current planning application for the Dublin Metro, which he repeatedly predicts will be approved later this year.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“It is clear after 4 years of inaction from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan that he is either unwilling or unable to deliver his National Aviation Policy, which is to; (1) enhance Ireland’s connectivity, (2) foster growth of aviation in Ireland, and (3) to maximise the contribution of aviation to Ireland’s growth and development. After 4 years as Minister, Eamon Ryan has delivered zero growth, a traffic cap at Dublin Airport, and Ireland is losing aircraft, traffic, tourism and jobs to Italy, Spain and even Albania! Dublin is 1 of just 3 EU capital city airports this year with zero growth, and it joins the distinguished list of Slovakia and Serbia as capital city airports that have failed to grow in 2024. 

The Dublin Airport traffic cap of 32m is an artificial restriction which was imposed by the planning authorities in 2007 as a condition for the 2^nd terminal. It was designed to prevent surface access at Dublin Airport “collapsing”. It is clear 16 years later that there is no issue with road access at Dublin Airport, which is why Dublin Airport has now opened a 2^nd runway increasing capacity at Dublin to 60m passenger. While there is ample room to grow in Dublin’s terminals and runways, this growth is blocked by an artificial traffic cap and Eamon Ryan’s failure to act.

If Ireland had a capable Transport Minister committed to delivering our National Aviation Policy, then he/she would intervene to lift this cap while the planning matter is being dealt with, or better still, pass legislation to raise the traffic cap at Dublin Airport to 50m passengers. Dublin Airport is a national asset. It is our main gateway on and off the island of Ireland. Its growth cannot be left to a few County Councillors in Fingal or the usual planning numbys and loonies who will block or delay this cap for up to 4 years.

Ireland has a Green Transport Minister and a Green Tourism Minister. After 4 years of failure, these 2 Ministers have shown they are sadly not up to the job. If they don’t act now to abolish this traffic cap at Dublin Airport, then they should quit. The choice is simple. These 2 Green Ministers should either GROW OR GO.”