DECISION STAYS AIRPORT CAP AND ALLOWS AIRLINES TO GROW TRAFFIC AND TOURISM TO DUBLIN IN SUMMER 2025

Ryanair, Ireland’s largest airline, today (Wed 11 Dec) welcomed the decision of the Irish High Court to refer the legality of the Dublin Airport Traffic Cap to the EU Court of Justice, where Ryanair believes this artificial restriction on the free movement of EU citizens to/from Dublin’s main airport (with 2 runways and traffic capacity of up to 60m passengers p.a.) will be deemed illegal. Ryanair regrets that it has been forced to waste time and money on this legal action which would not have been necessary if failed Green Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has just issued a direction to the IAA to prioritise growth, rather than pandering to a 17-year-old planning restriction to address road traffic concerns which no longer exist.

Today’s welcome referral to Europe will now allow Ryanair to add some growth capacity at Dublin for Summer 2025, where Ryanair hopes to respond to the DAA’s new environmental incentive scheme by placing some of its new, quieter B737 Gamechanger aircraft in Dublin, adding new routes and more frequencies on existing routes. Ryanair notes that Irish voters rejected the failed Green Party at the recent Election. Ryanair welcomes the success of those parties such as FF & FG who have committed to scrapping the Dublin Airport Cap at the earliest possible date and hopes that a new Govt will deliver this manifesto promise as their first order of business in early 2025.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Today’s referral of the idiotic Dublin Airport Cap to the EU Court of Justice is good news, as it suspends this traffic cap for Summer 2025 which now allows Ryanair to grow traffic & tourism with new, more efficient quieter jets and lower fares. This would not have been necessary if our recent Green Transport Minister Eamon Ryan had only done his job.

We welcome the success in the recent Election of those parties who committed to abolishing this idiotic and harmful traffic cap. Irish voters want traffic, tourism, and jobs growth. They want more low fares, and a lot less of failed Green Party stagnation and inaction. We call on the new FF/FG Government to expedite legislation in the new Dáil term to abolish this outdated 2007 traffic cap and allow Dublin and Ireland to enjoy the growth benefits which Dublin’s new 2^nd runway can now deliver for Irish tourism, Irish jobs, and Irish citizens. Good riddance to the Green Party who abjectly failed to deliver aviation solutions or growth for an island on the periphery of Europe.”