Airport ends legal fight

THE Dublin Airport Authority has dropped its legal challenge against the Commission for Aviation Regulator over landing charges at the airport.

The DAA, the body that operates Dublin Airport following the break up of Aer Rianta, yesterday said it had withdrawn its Supreme Court appeal against the decision of the High Court to uphold the regulator’s approach to setting airport charges at the company’s airports.

The legal battle between the two sides, which has been running for nearly three years, has so far cost the State around €5 million in legal fees. It is understood around €3 million has been incurred by the aviation regulator’s office, whose costs will be picked up by the DAA in addition to its own bill. The Supreme Court appeal would have cost taxpayers millions.

The DAA said it had dropped the legal challenge following comments by the aviation regulator Bill Prasifka about how airport charges in the future will be determined.

In a statement the DAA said: “These amendments mean that, for the first time, the company’s concerns about the existing regulatory decision may now be considered comprehensively and addressed by the commission. These concerns include the limited scope employed by the commission to date in determining maximum levels of airport charges, particularly with regard to the significant capital expenditure requirements of the company’s airports.”

It said the most important changes signalled by the CAR was to ensure any future determination on airport charges will allow Dublin Airport to be develop in a “sustainable and financially viable manner.”