New runway needed for passenger rise - DAA

Dublin airport will lose 10 million passengers a year if a proposed new runway is not built, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has told an An Bord Pleanála hearing.

In its opening statement to the hearing into its application for a 3,110-metre runway, the DAA said the airport would begin to experience air traffic problems by 2009 if the €150 million project did not go ahead.

Passenger numbers, currently about 19 million a year, are expected to rise to 38.4 million by 2025, but if air traffic was restricted by lack of runway space, numbers would have to be restricted to 28.4 million, according to Richard Hamilton, a town planner representing the DAA. He also said that building a new runway at the existing airport was "significantly more cost-effective" than other options.

There was "no advantage" in locating the new runway off-site at either a new airport or an existing facility such as Baldonnel or Gormanston, he said. The upgrading of the existing main runway would not deliver the capacity needed and was a not a more cost-effective option.

"The parallel runway option was found to be significantly more cost-effective, by over 40 per cent," he said.

An Taisce, which is appealing against a new runway, yesterday asked An Bord Pleanála to order the DAA to provide funding for An Taisce to engage legal representation of equivalent status to the DAA's barrister, Michael O'Donnell.

An Taisce heritage officer Ian Lumley said it was "unfair and inequitable" and contravened an EU directive that one party should use "prohibitively expensive" legal counsel unless all other parties, including environmental non-governmental organisations, had access to similar resources.

Mr O'Donnell said it was entirely inappropriate that he be referred to in this way by Mr Lumley and he found the comments "personally distasteful".

It was "somewhat ironic" that Mr Lumley would deem his services prohibitively expensive, Mr O'Donnell said, "given that in the past I have acted for An Taisce".

Hearing inspector Pauline Fitzpatrick declined to make a ruling on the matter.

The DAA first applied to Fingal County Council for planning permission for the runway in December 2004. The council twice returned the application because it said the DAA had not provided a sufficient economic case for the need for the runway and had not adequately addressed the traffic implications of the development.

However, following the provision of additional information by the DAA the council approved the application last April. After An Bord Pleanála received 14 appeals against the decision an oral hearing was called. The hearing resumes today and will address traffic issues.