Airport plan could be facing €300m shortfall

THE Dublin Airport Authority’s ambitious €1.2 billion development plan could face a funding shortfall of €300 million if the company is not allowed to raise passenger charges, management said yesterday.

Last September, the Commission for Aviation Regulation ruled that, until the end of 2009, passenger charges at Dublin should not exceed €6.14 per person.

Appearing before the Oireachtas Transport Committee yesterday, DAA chairman Gary McGann said the airport would be severely hamstrung if not allowed to raise charges.

“In order to deliver the plan in full and to the required time scale, the DAA requires an average airport charge per passenger at Dublin Airport of at least €7.50,” he said. According to European Commission figures, the existing €6.14 charge meant Dublin was the “fourth-lowest charging major airport in the world”, he said.

“At these levels, the company will be seriously challenged in its ability to complete the Dublin Airport investment on time, and also to separate Shannon and Cork Airports as autonomous businesses.”

Earlier this year, an appeals panel found in favour of the DAA.