Dublin Airport operator daa defends growth plans amid  concerns about emissions increase

Kenny Jacobs, chief executive of daa: Limiting capacity at Dublin Airport just diverts flights and  emissions to other airports. 

The head of Dublin Airport operator daa has defended plans to expand the airport's capacity to 40m passengers a year, despite concerns that it will increase emissions.

The daa has unveiled its 20-point sustainability plan — to be rolled out in Dublin and Cork Airports — which includes making Dublin Airport diesel-free, electrifying the light-vehicle fleets at Dublin and Cork Airports, as well as submitting a planning application for a 1.8m-kilowatt solar farm at Cork Airport.

Under Dublin Airport’s current planning permission, the number of passengers allowed through the airport is 32m a year. Daa recently submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council to increase this limit.

Kenny Jacobs, chief executive of daa, said that the airport can grow and still improve sustainability, by reducing emissions per passenger.

This depends on more fuel-efficient aircraft, the number of people in those aircrafts, the type of fuel, and the destination.

Mr Jacobs also pushed back on suggestions that the airport capacity should stay the same until emission-reducing technology and fuels catch up.

"We're also thinking of the tens of thousands of jobs that are dependent on aviation and we want to keep that connectivity,” he said.

Mr Jacobs said daa is committed to being a "net-zero business" by 2050, but that a cap at Dublin Airport won't reduce total emissions, "We just move emissions across the water to Manchester, to Edinburgh, and other airports."

Daa said it is planning on spending €400m — should the expansion of Dublin Airport be approved — on sustainability initiatives.