Ryanair to consider Dublin Airport position if charges rise

Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said without incentives future growth at Dublin Airport may be impacted. Photo credit: Damien Storan/PA Wire

Ryanair will look at locating aircraft in other airports and possibly expanding routes elsewhere across Europe if Dublin Airport passenger charges increase any further.

During the airline’s announcement of its summer schedule on Tuesday, Ryanair’s chief executive Eddie Wilson said that Dublin Airport is “one of the most expensive” airports that it flies into and that it rewards lower-cost airports with additional traffic. 

Ryanair is expected to take delivery of 110 new aircraft through to the end of 2024 and they will be placed in airports with the most competitive rates, the company said. 

However, Daa chief executive Kenny Jacobs said their charges are one of the lowest compared to other “peer” airports in Europe and they wish to remain so. He said a “modest increase” is needed to “ensure a reliant offering” for airlines and passengers.

Charges

Dublin Airport charges airlines €8.68 per passenger with Heathrow in London being one of the most expensive in Europe at €35.58 per passenger. UK regulators recently told Heathrow to cut this fee down to €28.88.

If Dublin Airport delivers on its own investment plans, the Commission for Aviation Regulation will allow them to increase their passenger charges to €9.23 next year, €10.30 in 2025, and up to €11.73 in 2026.

Mr Jacobs said that with Dublin Airport increasing the passenger charges, it would help bring down security waiting times. It is currently recruiting additional security staff with the aim to have 800 in place by the summer. 

"We want the charge to increase and I'm confident that we can have an increase in the charge again,” Mr Jacobs said.

He added that while Ryanair is the airport's biggest customer, other airlines want different facilities that will have to be paid for.

Traffic Recovery Support Scheme

In addition to the potential increase in passenger charges, airlines will also have to deal with the end of the government’s Traffic Recovery Support Scheme (TRSS) in March next year. The TRSS offered discounts on government charges based on the number of passengers flown during the pandemic compared to 2019 figures.

Mr Wilson said unless there are some other incentives put in place “I don't think we're going to see the growth of Dublin Airport we've seen this year”.

On Tuesday, Ryanair also announced a new 14 destinations for its summer schedule bringing the total number of routes to 130. Among the new destinations include Asturias and Castellon in Spain, Kos and Zakynthos in Greece, as well as Stockholm, Genoa, and Leipzig.

The airline expects to fly 16 million passengers to and from Dublin Airport this year. There will be 2,000 weekly flights in and out of the airport this summer with traffic expected to be 10% higher compared to summer 2022.