Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (22 Jul) condemned the draft decision by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR), which allows Dublin Airport’s owner, the DAA, to increase its charges by 20% between 2022 and 2026 – BEFORE INFLATION. Inflation over this 4-year period could add another 10% or 20%. CAR’s decision means that Dublin Airlines and Customers are now facing price increases of between 30% to 40% over the next 4 years, which rewards Dublin Airport for mismanaging the customer experience this summer, with long security queues, missed flights, and record flight delays. As Irish tourism tries to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, Ryanair believes that DAA should be reducing its prices and improving its services, not raising prices and delivering miserable customer service.

Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson said:
“Today’s draft decision by CAR is a bad day for Dublin Airlines and passengers. The DAA is being rewarded by CAR for its mismanagement with price increases of between 20% to 40% over the next 4 years, at a time when other airports all over Europe are lowering charges to try to recover their Pre-Covid traffic and tourism. The DAA should not be rewarded for its management failures and miserable customer experience with price increases. This inflation busting price increase shows that CAR has been captured by the DAA monopoly, and is now rewarding the DAA for its mismanagement with unjustified price increases.

Since the Irish Govt.’s Route Recovery Scheme will only last for Summer 2022, it is imperative that CAR changes course, and imposes price reductions on Dublin Airport for Summer 2023 and Summer 2024, or at least until Dublin Airport proves that it can provide an acceptable airport experience to its airlines and customers. At a minimum, this would require them to deliver security queue times of under 15 minutes; restaurants, bars, and retail outlets that are properly staffed and stocked; and a clean and comfortable terminal and boarding pier environment, which has been not been delivered for Dublin Airport users over recent months.

Ryanair will continue to campaign for lower-cost air access to/from Dublin Airport on behalf of Irish consumers, so that Irish tourism can recover the traffic lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. CAR should play its role as an independent regulator, and demand that Dublin Airport lowers it charges until such time as it proves it can deliver an acceptable airport and terminal experience for customers. Rewarding Dublin Airport with 20%-40% price increases, at a time when it is one of Europe’s worst performing airports, is a sign of regulatory failure and capture.