The junior minister at the Department of Transport met with the CEO of Ryanair this morning to discuss the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, but the discussion was unproductive, according to the CEO, reports RTE.
Following an hour-long discussion with James Lawless at Ryanair’s Swords headquarters, Michael O’Leary was speaking.
Mr. O’Leary claimed that the issue would be resolved if Transport Minister Eamon Ryan signed a letter to the IAA, the aviation regulator, telling it to provide more slots at the airport while airport operator daa awaits word from planners regarding raising the airport’s passenger cap, reports RTE.
According to the CEO, the Aviation Regulation Act of 2001 permits this.
“He can do that while…the daa apply for the cap to be scrapped,” Mr O’Leary told reporters after the meeting, reports RTE.
“It’s not an interference in the planning process, but it does reflect national aviation policy, which is to grow traffic and connectivity at Dublin Airport,” reports RTE.
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According to Mr. O’Leary, the minister promised to retrieve the recommended letter and review it over the course of the following several days.
“And then we believe he will do nothing about it, just as Eamon Ryan has done nothing about it,” Mr O’Leary remarked, reports RTE.
After the meeting, Mr. Lawless gave an interview to the media, saying he would consider the idea but wasn’t sure it was “a runner”.
However, it is the type of behaviour I am attempting to promote. I’m asking for recommendations from interested parties,” Mr. Lawless stated.
He stated that he intends to speak with airport operator daa, other airlines, including Aer Lingus, and others over the iss, reports RTE.
The 2007 planning clearance for Dublin Airport’s second terminal has a ceiling on annual passenger counts of 32 million.
As of right moment, the maximum has been reached, and DAA has issued a warning that it will probably be surpassed this year by up to 1 million, reports RTE.
Daa has requested authorisation to construct the infrastructure necessary to raise the limit to 40 million annually.
A decision on that, meanwhile, isn’t likely to happen for years, and in the interim, airlines are limited in how many more aircraft slots they may have at the airport.
Moving some traffic away from Dublin and into regional airports is another potential short-term fix for the issue, according to Mr. Lawless, reports RTE.
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