PASSENGER TRAFFIC at Dublin airport in February was 12 per cent lower than in the same month last year, figures to be released this week show.
Some 1.4 million people travelled through the airport last month, around 200,000 fewer passengers than in the same month last year.
In January, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) predicted that passenger traffic would fall by 3-4 per cent this year, resulting in up to 940,000 fewer passengers using the facility.
The airport handled 1.4 million passengers in January, an 8 per cent decline on traffic in the corresponding period last year.
Ryanair said the reduced numbers were an “inevitable consequence” of the DAA’s decision to increase its “already high charges” this year.
The airline also criticised the Aviation Regulator Cathal Guiomard for his failure to protect passengers from “excessive unjustified cost increases”.
“This continuing traffic collapse at Dublin airport shows that Irish tourism cannot afford the high costs being charged by the Government-owned DAA,” Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said.
Mr McNamara said that the Government proposed €10 travel tax, which is to be introduced next month, would further devastate traffic at Irish airports and result in major cuts to Ryanair’s flights, schedules and traffic at Cork and Shannon airports. “With Ireland’s tourism industry in freefall, this Government must now scrap the €10 travel tax. These funds can be raised in other ways such as getting rid of the unnecessary and unjustified €5 billion Dublin airport Metro,” he said.
