Former Aer Lingus, British Airways and IAG chief executive Willie Walsh has branded the controversial annual passenger limit at Dublin Airport “a joke”.
Addressing the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), in Dublin this week, Mr Walsh – who is now the influential head of aviation representative group the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – said the 32 million passenger cap at Dublin and its knock-on effect is “very disappointing” and “very frustrating”.
“It has become a joke. Outside of Ireland, this is a joke. I speak to international airlines who want to serve the Irish market, they want to serve it through Dublin. They are not going to fly to Shannon and Cork and they are absolutely crystal clear about that. They want to serve the Irish market. For them Dublin is the Irish market. And they can’t because we have this restriction,” he told the IIEA event.
“Quite honestly, this is something that could only happen in Ireland and it is sad to see it,” Mr Walsh said.
Mr Walsh warned that air fares on flights to and from Dublin are likely to increase due to rising demand for seats on capacity-constrained services. He added that the Government will have to intervene in the matter if a long-term solution is going to be found.
