A 32 million cap on the number of passengers going through Dublin Airport annually is “antiquated”, Minister of State James Lawless has said in advance of talks with Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary.
Mr Lawless is convening talks with stakeholders this week on the passenger cap amid warnings that efforts to suppress numbers arriving through the airport will have an impact on aviation, commerce and tourism.
Speaking in advance of the meeting, Mr Lawless said that “based on a set of assumptions that are no longer present, I believe the cap is antiquated”. He pointed to data showing that the percentage of passengers travelling to the airport by bus had grown from 15 per cent in 2006 to 35 per cent this year, arguing that this took millions of car passengers off the road.
He said he was willing to listen to any potential solutions from stakeholders. “I want to be creative and innovative in finding a way through this impasse.”
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DAA, which runs the airport, has said it has made extensive efforts to keep passenger traffic within planning parameters set by An Bord Pleanála in 2007, with the final figure this year expected to be closer to 33 million passengers.
The State-owned company’s chief executive, Kenny Jacobs, said that uncertainty created by the cap was “not the best look for Ireland” and would likely affect foreign direct investment. DAA has applied to Fingal County Council to increase the cap to 40 million and is preparing an interim application that seeks to increase the passenger cap as part of a wider plan for infrastructure enhancements contained in its first submission.
[ DAA reveals Dublin Airport cap will cost Ireland €500m next yearOpens in new window ]
Mr Lawless said in advance of the meeting with Mr O’Leary: “We need to get more agile as to how we turn around large-scale infrastructure. The strategic infrastructure legislation from the mid-2000s aimed to do that but it’s been watered down since.”
He added that infrastructure was included as a policy objective in a revised Fianna Fáil aims document he authored last year, and that he expected it to feature strongly in the party’s general election manifesto.
Mr O’Leary has previously described the cap as “insane and stupid”, criticising Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan as not being sufficiently interested in aviation, or “modestly interested in economic growth and development”. He has warned that air fares in and out of Dublin this Christmas will be about €1,000 return.
[ Airlines must move away from dependency on Dublin Airport, says MinisterOpens in new window ]
A source close to the Minister said: “Michael O’Leary has been all bluster. We’ll see after this meeting if there is any substance behind the hot air.”
Alongside Mr O’Leary, the Government will hold meetings with DAA, Cork and Shannon airports, as well as residents’ and business groups.
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