Government planning to scrap passenger cap at Dublin Airport

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien set to begin drafting legislation next month
Government planning to scrap passenger cap at Dublin Airport

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien will begin the process of drafting legislation that will remove Dublin Airport's 32m a year passenger limit.

The Government is planning to scrap the passenger cap at Dublin Airport that the aviation industry says prevents the addition of new routes and weighs on economic growth.

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien told the Sunday Independent that he will send a memo to Cabinet in the first week of October and begin the process of drafting legislation that will remove the airport's 32m a year passenger limit.

The number of passengers at Dublin Airport, which carries around 80% of the country's air travellers, was capped at 32m when planners approved the construction of a second terminal in 2007, in part to avoid local road congestion.

The airport overshot the cap by over 1m passengers in 2024, and the High Court in April extended an earlier ruling that prevented regulators from cutting the number of passenger seats during the March to October summer season with an initial suspension.

If the legislation proceeds, it will see a removal of the cap at Dublin Airport by the end of next year.

Reuters

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