Transport

Expansion plans could make going through Dublin Airport ‘very difficult’, former Aer Arann boss warns

DAA has applied for planning permission to raise passenger cap to 40 million a year

The cap of 32 million passengers has been in place since 2008. Photograph: Paul Faith / AFP / Getty

Olivia Kelleher
Sat Dec 16 2023 - 11:02

Former Aer Arann Islands owner, Pádraig Ó Céidigh, has warned that expansion plans at Dublin Airport are “not fair on residents” of the surrounding area and that having additional passengers on-site would make getting through the airport “very difficult”.

The DAA has applied for planning permission from Fingal County Council to raise the cap of 32 million passengers a year to 40 million. The cap has been in place since 2008.

Last month Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the cap on passengers at the airport should be increased – or else the airport will face losing new airline routes.

Mr Varadkar described the current cap as “rigid”, stressing that it creates difficulties in attracting new routes in and out of the capital.

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However, Mr Ó Céidigh, who is also a former independent senator, said having an additional eight million passengers a year would make travelling through Dublin Airport “very difficult”.

Speaking on the Hard Shoulder on Newstalk, Mr Ó Céidigh said that it would involve putting an extra eight million passengers in to this “squeeze box”.

“All you’re going to have is more and more pressure on the existing resources,” he said.

Mr Ó Céidigh also said that regional airports should be allowed to expand instead of putting the emphasis solely on Dublin Airport.

“I don’t think it’s good socioeconomic policy for Dublin or for the country, quite frankly,” Mr Ó Céidigh said.

“I believe very strongly that Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and Knock airport should be developed further and there should be diversion of some of the flights and routes to those airports – rather than focusing so much on Dublin.

“It’s not fair to the residents of Dublin [or] to the workers of Dublin.”

However, he said that was in favour of plans to build third terminal not owned by the DAA.

“We should have a third terminal and we should have an independent terminal,” Mr Ó Céidigh said.

“There should be competition that Ryanair, Aer Lingus and any other airline that are using Dublin Airport, that they don’t have to be stuck in a kind of monopolistic situation [where] they’ve no choice but to go through a DAA terminal.”

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