Transferring flights to regional airports will not solve Dublin passenger cap problems, Ryanair warns

Head of Communications Jade Kirwan said Cork and Dublin were 'in different divisions,' with Dublin in the same league as Europe's larger cities.

"The problem is, contrary to belief, the demand is not there. You have 600,000 people in Cork Airport's surrounding area while there are 2 million around Dublin Airport. Pic: Larry Cummins

Transferring flight services to regional airports to combat the passenger cap at Dublin Airport will not solve Ryanair's problems, head of communications at the airline, Jade Kirwan has said.

Speaking at the launch of Ryanair's Winter 2024 schedule for Cork Airport on Wednesday, Ms Kirwan said that the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is continuing to damage jobs and the economy, reiterating calls for the Government to scrap it, as well as caps on regional airports.

"When we look across our network, there are 95 bases, with Ireland less than 10% of our operation. It is never a question of putting a service in Dublin or Cork, or even Shannon. It's a question of, Dublin or London or Budapest or any of these larger cities across Europe. There is a bigger playing field at hand. 

"The problem is, contrary to belief, the demand is not there. You have 600,000 people in Cork Airport's surrounding area while there are 2 million around Dublin Airport."

Ms Kirwan added that while the airline continues to grow in Cork, it remains a slow and steady build.

"It is not as simple as picking up an aircraft and putting it out of Dublin and to Cork. We cannot give up what capacity we do have in Dublin because of the value attached to it and the lack of supply. Even if you did, there is nothing to say that it will be successful - there may be no benefit to it. 

"We see demand rising and are responding accordingly, but Cork and Dublin are in different divisions. They are both performing well, but Dublin is in a separate league, playing with some of Europe's larger cities.

Several airlines are already preparing to axe flights at Dublin Airport as part of a row over its 32m-a-year passenger limit. In 2007, planners limited Dublin Airport to 32m passengers a year as a condition of allowing its operator, the Daa, to build a second terminal there.

As a result of the cap, airlines will have to cut the number of seats available to passengers flying in and out of Dublin by an estimated 1m next year, meaning a likely squeeze during the busy summer months.

Ryanair, which is one of the airport’s largest operators, confirmed that it cut routes last winter, reinstating just some of them this summer.

'Different spheres'

In July this year, chief executive of the Daa, Kenny Jacobs said that while Dublin Airport was restricted, Cork Airport could grow further over the next couple of years. 

Making a big push to encourage new routes into Cork, the Daa said airlines that move routes and traffic from Dublin to Cork would be offered lower charges to keep the aircraft in the country.

At the time, he said the Daa had already begun talks with airlines about the incentive scheme. Despite this, both Cork Airport, which is under the authority of the Daa, and Ryanair have said Cork and Dublin operate in different spheres.

Speaking on the Dublin cap and the opportunity for Cork, Roy O'Driscoll, Deputy Managing Director at Cork Airport said: "The cap does provide an opportunity for Cork, but it is small. I think we may take a piece of it, but ultimately, the vast majority of it will leave Ireland. Whatever opportunity there is, we will go after that aggressively, but Dublin is not competing with Cork. 

"Until we know how the cap at Dublin Airport will be implemented, everyone will be slow to move until they are told what they need to do.

 Pictured at the announcement of the Ryanair winter schedule in Cork were (from L-R) Tara Finn; Head of Aviation Business Development & Communications, Cork Airport, Roy O'Driscoll, Deputy Managing Director, Cork Airport and Jade Kirwan, Head of Communications, Ryanair. Picture: David Creedon

Mr O'Driscoll added that Cork could benefit from the cap being lifted, telling the Irish Examinerthat allowing airlines to invest more overall in the country will have knock-on positive impacts on regional airports.

Winter schedule

Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced 23 routes as part of its winter 2024 schedule, including two new routes to Brussels Charleroi and Rome Ciampino. The airline has also added extra flights on two of its most popular routes from Cork, Lazarote and Manchester.

Ryanair’s traffic growth from Cork has risen by 85% since the pandemic, with Ms Kirwan saying that Cork has been the airline's biggest growing airport in Ireland across the summer and winter months.

“That 85% growth we have recorded is phenomenal. It is nearly double what we had only a couple of years ago,” Ms Kirwan told the Irish Examiner. “I definitely foresee more growth in Cork, but it is a slow burn. However, steadily, there will be growth.”