The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) will learn today if it has secured planning permission to build a 7,500sq m (80,729sq ft) extension to its existing terminal at Dublin airport.
The extension was granted planning permission by Fingal County Council last April, but was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by Ryanair and the Portmarnock Community Association.
The extension, which is a separate development to the construction of the second terminal known as T2, is designed to cope with the growth in passenger numbers from Pier A and the recently opened Pier D. To be built in the northwestern corner of the terminal, it will provide additional space for passengers, check-in desks, and retail and restaurant space.
The details of the appeals against the project will not be released until the decision is published. However, it is understood that Ryanair has objected that the DAA is making planning applications in a haphazard way and without consulting airlines in relation to their operational needs. The airline also believes that the extension should not be used for retail and restaurant facilities, but for the expansion of airline operational facilities only.
The plans submitted to the council are for a two-storey triangular-shaped building with an intermediate mezzanine floor.
The extension will sit on a number of concrete columns above ground level so that the apron area below the building can be retained for use by ground handlers and other aviation-related services.
