DUBLIN AIRPORT LOSES 3 AIRCRAFT, 16 NEW ROUTES, AND OVER 200 JOBS TO SOUTHERN ITALY

Ryanair, Ireland’s favourite airline, today (15 Feb) called on Green Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, to take urgent action to lift the traffic cap at Dublin Airport or quit and let someone else do the job. Ryanair today announced it has switched 3 aircraft, 16 new routes, and over 200 jobs to Southern Italy. These aircraft would have gone to Dublin but have been blocked by the artificial traffic cap. Ireland is now closed for business due to this artificial traffic cap and Ireland is losing traffic and tourism growth to other EU airports under a Green Transport Minister and a Green Tourism Minister, Catherine Martin.

Irish Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, wrongly claims that the Dublin Airport traffic cap is a “planning matter” in which he can’t interfere. Yet he has no problem interfering in planning for the Dublin Metro which he claims will be “approved this year”. As always with this Green’s Transport Minister, he has no problem interfering in planning for trains but refuses to take any action when Dublin Airport and Irish tourism are losing aircraft jobs and visitors to other EU airports. Minister Ryan should now instruct Dublin Airport on an interim basis to lift this artificial traffic cap and allow Irish tourism to grow or his Govt. should pass legislation raising this cap until the planning process can be completed, which could take 3 or 4 years. If Minister Ryan is unwilling to act, then Green Tourism Minister, Catherine Martin, should take action instead.

Ryanair’s Michael O’ Leary said:

“Dublin Airport has today lost 3 aircraft, 16 routes and over 200 jobs to Southern Italy as a direct result of Transport Minister Ryan’s inaction and incompetence. His own aviation policy commits him to growing Irish aviation and tourism, but instead of delivering growth, after 4 years as Transport Minister, he has delivered a traffic cap at Dublin Airport which could last for 3 or 4 years if left to a couple of county councillors in Fingal and Ireland’s archaic planning system.

Traffic growth at Dublin Airport cannot be fobbed off by a Green Minister to the planning process. He should intervene to lift this cap on an interim basis or quit. He has no problem intervening in the planning process for the airport metro and he should now do likewise with the Dublin Airport traffic cap.

Dublin Airport is the main gateway to the island of Ireland and our tourism industry, which needs a Transport Minister and a Tourism Minister who are determined to deliver growth, not Green sound bites to cover 4 years of inaction and incompetence. The regions of Southern Italy are today celebrating record traffic and tourism growth which would otherwise have gone to Dublin if it were not for Transport Minister Eamon Ryan’s abject failure to deliver his own aviation growth policy.”