Dublin Airport passenger numbers to grow to around 40m before cap resolved, says Ryanair boss

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has said passenger traffic through Dublin Airport could hit 40m a year, by which time there is little chance the Government will cut that back. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

The number of people passing through Dublin Airport could grow to between 38m and 40m by the time the issue of the passenger cap works its way through the courts, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has said, at which point the chances of cutting that back down would be “zero”.

Under Dublin Airport’s 2007 planning permission, it is limited to managing 32m passengers a year through both of their terminals. The cap was breached last year, when over 33m passengers passed through the airport, and will be breached again this year, according to trends.