Transport chief casts doubt on bid to raise Dublin Airport passenger cap

The cap at Dublin Airport has been in place since 2007.

One of the country’s most senior civil servants has cast doubt on efforts by the Government to quickly raise Dublin Airport’s 32m person passenger cap, describing them as “unrealistic”.

Secretary general at the Department of Transport Ken Spratt informed his colleagues in late March of a phonecall he had received from the chair of DAA — the airport’s operating body — Basil Geoghegan, in which Mr Spratt described media reports that the Government was set to raise the cap as being “inaccurate”.

The reporting in question suggested that the Government was considering interventions to lift the cap — which dates from 2007 — including potentially passing laws allowing the limit to be increased, with senior ministerial sources being quoted describing the ongoing cap situation as intolerable.

However, Mr Spratt, in a message sent on March 31 to several colleagues and seen by the Irish Examiner, said those reports were “from my perspective, inaccurate”.

Referring to two planning applications which Daa has outstanding with Fingal County Council (FCC) seeking to raise the cap respectively to 36m and 40m passengers, Mr Spratt said those applications should take precedence over any other action, adding “in my view, the existing processes should be persisted with and concluded”.

He said that what had been reported regarding potential Government intervention on the cap “is likely to set unrealistic expectations”.

“It is highly unlikely that any new law would speed up the process to increase the cap,” Mr Spratt said.

A spokesperson for DAA said that it is “encouraged” by its ongoing discussions with minister for transport Darragh O’Brien who had confirmed to the body that he is “exploring new legal solutions to the cap”.

“The bigger issue” at present, they said, “is that conversations need to switch to how planning in Ireland can go faster”.

The Department of Transport was asked whether or not Mr Spratt is still of the same opinion but said it has no comment to make on the matter.

Daa, which has been criticised by the airlines in particular for failing to deal with the need to raise the cap sooner, officially lodged an application with FCC to raise the cap to 40m in December 2023.

The 32m cap at Dublin Airport has come in for a great deal of criticism in recent years from stakeholders, ranging from airlines to politicians, facing accusations that the restriction is limiting growth and competitiveness and discouraging future investment.

DAA, which has been criticised by the airlines in particular for failing to deal with the need to raise the cap sooner, officially lodged an application with FCC to raise the cap to 40m in December 2023.

However, that application has been stalled for more than a year on foot of a request from FCC’s Aircraft Noise Competent Authority in March 2024 for more information regarding the noise impact of planes travelling to and from the airport.

DAA has said it cannot provide that information until a decision is reached by An Bord Pleanála relating to the body’s ‘relevant action’ which seeks to alter the number of planes allowed to land and take off at the airport each night — which is currently capped at 65.

A commitment was made in the programme for government to “work with stakeholders to achieve our objective of lifting the passenger cap at Dublin Airport as soon as possible”.

To that end, Mr O’Brien had met with attorney general Rossa Fanning in March, with legal advice stemming from that meeting suggesting the cap could be "carved out" from planning laws by implementing fresh legislation.

Last month, Mr O’Brien said the legislative options in question “have not been provided to me yet”, adding however, that the Government remained “committed” to removing the cap.