IAA defers action on Dublin Airport charges until March next year 

Dublin Airport operator daa will now have to reassess the disputed airline charges in March next year. 

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has upheld a series of complaints Ryanair lodged against charges at Dublin Airport ahead of the winter season but it has deferred action on the matter until March next year.

In September 2023, daa set out a list of changes to its airport charges from March 2024 to March 2025. Following the conclusion of the consultation process in December 2023, the IAA received a formal complaint from Ryanair alleging that Dublin Airport had not fully complied with its obligations under regulations.

Out of the six complaints Ryanair submitted, the IAA found that there was merit in four of them. 

These centred around the differentiation of passenger charges between transfer and point-to-point passengers, the structure of the runway movement charges, the low emissions aircraft discount, and the nitrogen oxide charges.

In May, the IAA published its draft decision which found that Dublin Airport operator daa had “not been sufficiently demonstrated as non-discriminatory and justified as being compliant with the 2011 Regulations”.

The IAA said in its draft decision that Dublin Airport should “reassess the charges subject to the complaint to come into effect in time for the Winter 2024-2025 season” which starts on October 27.

However, as a result of the practical timelines involved, the IAA’s final decision is that rather than re-assessing the charges on an interim basis in time for this winter period, “Dublin Airport should review the charges as part of the annual consultation process to take effect in time for the Summer 2025 season, which commences on 30 March 2025”.

The IAA said that daa disputed the findings of its draft decision claiming that they were in full compliance with directives and regulations. The IAA said it considered whether the final decision should be accompanied by a “statutory direction” for daa to comply but decided against it at this time.

Instead, the investigation will be kept open and if the IAA sees Dublin Airport “continuing to not accept these findings” or not taking appropriate steps, it will then issue a direction.

This decision comes as daa is under pressure to keep its passenger numbers this year under the 32 million limit imposed under its planning permission. Airlines such as Ryanair have been railing against the limit calling for action to be taken.

Ryanair for its part is having a really good summer period recording 20.5 million passengers in August — an increase of 8% compared to last year and a new monthly record for the airline.

In a statement, daa said that Dublin Airport conducted the 2024 annual charges review “in compliance with regulations, as evidenced by the lack of complaints from other airport users”.

“These annual charges to airlines undergo thorough regulatory scrutiny every year. It is disappointing that Ryanair has challenged our efforts to promote a quieter, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient fleet at Dublin Airport through the proposed charges, which support our sustainability goals and ambitions.” 

Daa added that it “discouraging” that the IAA has “questioned the appropriateness of environmental charges” and the low emissions aircraft discount incentive, which “we introduced as a catalyst for lower noise and CO₂ emissions”.