Ryanair group chief executive Michael O’Leary has called on Taoiseach Simon Harris to intervene in the Dublin Airport passenger impasse and force Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to instruct the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to approve additional Dublin airline slots for this winter and next summer.
It follows the IAA proposing a limit on passengers for next summer at Dublin Airport.
The regulator, last night, proposed a limit on passengers flying out of Dublin Airport next summer to 25.2 million, while the issue of the overall annual 32 million passenger cap
remains unresolved.
The proposal would result in around 1 million less seats available out of Dublin Airport next summer.
Mr O’Leary said: “This will mean fewer flights, and higher fares for Irish families travelling abroad, and for visitors coming to Ireland. Irish tourism cannot afford to lose 1 million visitors in Summer 2025 simply because Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has failed to act.
“It’s time for Eamon Ryan’s inaction and incompetence to end. Ryanair has drafted a simple Direction Letter to the IAA, which Minister Ryan can issue tomorrow morning, and which would allow Ryanair and other airlines to add extra flights this Winter for Leinster Rugby matches, Lapland Santa Claus flights, and for Irish families returning home to Dublin at Christmas. Minister Eamon Ryan keeps dodging this issue, falsely claiming that there is “nothing he can do”. As usual, Eamon Ryan prefers to do nothing rather than solve transport problems.
“We now call on An Taoiseach Simon Harris to intervene in this matter and demand that Eamon Ryan issues a Ministerial Direction to the IAA to approve additional slots for Dublin’s airlines this Winter, and again in Summer 2025. This will allow the DAA the time and space to use the planning process to scrap this idiotic 2007 traffic cap. Even Fingal County Council ignored this 2007 cap when it gave planning permission for the 2nd runway, which was opened just two years ago, and which takes Dublin Airport’s runway capacity to 60 million passengers.
“If Eamon Ryan won’t put Irish transport and Irish tourism first, then he should resign his Ministry and allow somebody competent to do the job. Alternatively, An Taoiseach Simon Harris should intervene and insist that the Government issues a Ministerial Direction to the IAA to allow Dublin Airport to continue to grow while the DAA and Fingal County Council go through the planning process to scrap this idiotic 17 year old traffic cap.”
