Dublin Airport has agreed to improve the efficiency of its runway and hopes in the long term to match the performance of London Gatwick, the UK's most efficient airport.
The Dublin Airport Authority hopes by this summer to increase the number of "aircraft movements" from 44 per hour at peak times to 46 per hour. An aircraft movement refers to a plane landing or taking off.
A spokeswoman for the airport said by 2010 the figure would increase to 50 movements per hour at peak times. At that stage, she said, a second runway would be almost operational. Gatwick is currently at 50 movements per hour and is among the most efficient airports in Europe.
Dublin has become an increasingly busy airport in recent years. In a few weeks the Dublin Airport Authority is expected to report a total of approximately 182,000 aircraft movements for 2004, up from 177,781 in 2003. The main driver of this growth has been scheduled services, with the number of cargo planes landing actually falling in the last five years.
Peak times at the airport vary during the year, but mainly occur in the morning and evenings. Airlines have long complained about bottlenecks on the runway during their busiest periods. Aer Rianta, now the Dublin Airport Authority, has traditionally responded to these complaints by proposing the construction of a new runway.
However airlines, including Ryanair and Aer Lingus, have expressed reservations about the cost of any new runway.
The airlines are concerned that the Dublin Airport Authority will seek to recoup its investment on a runway via increased landing charges. The authority currently has an application for a new runway before Fingal County Council. The local authority recently sought further information from the airport on its plans.
While remaining supportive of a new runway, the Dublin Airport Authority in recent weeks agreed to increase the efficiency of the existing facility.
This will be done in conjunction with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), which controls the air traffic control system at the airport. An IAA spokeswoman said safety was of "paramount importance" when the number of movements increased. She said the authority was confident it could handle any increase in activity at peak periods.
A spokesman for the Dublin Airport Authority said the increased efficiency did not necessarily mean more passengers would be passing through the airport. He said the issue was about getting as many planes in and out of the airport as possible at peak times.
However, he said this had to be done while ensuring the most rigorous levels of safety. He said if the efficiencies could be achieved it should reduce the number of flights taking place outside peak hours.
