Dublin Bus chair Gary Owens named as new DAA chairman

Dublin Bus chairman Gary Owens will succeed Basil Geoghegan in the same role at State airports company DAA in June.

Geoghegan’s term, most recently marred by a dispute between the board and former DAA chief executive, Kenny Jacobs, ends on June 13th.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien on Tuesday named Owens as his successor on the board of the company responsible for Cork and Dublin airports, along with two international businesses.

Owens is chairman of State-owned public transport company Dublin Bus, and a director of its parent CIÉ Group.

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“I am delighted to appoint Gary Owens as Chairperson to the Board of DAA for a five-year term,” said the minister. Owens takes up the post on June 14th.

Five vacancies remain to be filled on the DAA board, according to the Government’s State boards’ website.

Aviation industry sources say that the State company has expressed concern to the minister and department over delays in filling these posts.

The minister must fill four of those vacancies following a “public jobs process”, the website states.

Geoghegan was first appointed in June 2018 and reappointed three years later.

He chaired the board through the pandemic, when Government lockdowns grounded air travel, forcing the State company to cut back severely.

Public criticism of delays in security at Dublin Airport when travel rebounded at an unexpected rate in 2022 followed this.

Subsequently, the dispute with Jacobs and the continued controversy over a 19-year-old planning condition limiting passenger numbers at Dublin to 32 million kept DAA in the news.

O’Brien thanked Goeghegan, noting that he served during challenging years for DAA and the wider air travel business.

The minister confirmed that Owens would remain as a director of CIÉ Group until a successor is appointed.

“Mr Owen’s wealth of experience in governance and state board leadership will help guide the daa Board in delivering on DAA’s mandate over the coming years,” said the minister.

DAA expects further growth in passenger numbers at Dublin and Cork airports this year.

However, conflict in the Middle East has sparked fears of a jet fuel shortage that has forced some European airlines to axe flights.

To date, no Irish carrier has announced cancellations related to this.