The boss of the Daa has warned that charter flights for special events – such as the Six Nations rugby championship – may need to be moved from Dublin Airport to others such as Cork or Belfast because of the current 32 million passenger per year capacity cap at the capital’s airport.
Kenny Jacobs was addressing the Oireachtas Transport Committee where he said Daa would fully comply with the current cap, but wants it lifted.
He warned that such a cap would constrain growth at Dublin Airport and could cost 16,000 jobs at the hub.
Mr Jacobs told the Committee, while smaller airports may benefit from caps at larger airports, it is ultimately not a sustainable way for them to grow. He said the 16,000 jobs that could be lost in Dublin would likely go elsewhere in Europe and air fares in Ireland would also rise.
The Daa is due, next month, to apply to Fingal County Council for infrastructure improvements which could boost passenger numbers to 40 million people per year.
