Airlines warn of cancelled trips, lost jobs, and economic damage over Dublin Airport cap

Aer Lingus and Ryanair officials before Oireachtas transport committee on Wednesday morning

Dublin Airport. Aer Lingus CEO Lynne Embleton said: 'We need this legislation enacted before October. We urge the very fast enactment of the legislation.' File photo

Ireland is on the brink of cancelled trips, higher airfares, lost jobs, and significant economic damage if the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is not urgently lifted, airlines have said.

Speaking before the Oireachtas transport committee on Wednesday morning, Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton said the country is looking at a “very serious situation very soon” if the 32m passenger cap is not lifted by the Government.

“The first thing is you can’t rely on the European courts,” she said. “You can’t rely on planning permission for DAA to come in. It’s too late. We need this legislation enacted before October. We urge the very fast enactment of the legislation.” 

 The committee is continuing pre-legislative scrutiny of the Government’s proposals to give the transport minister powers to amend or revoke the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.

This would bypass the current planning process as well as court cases that have been taken as far as the European Court of Justice regarding the cap, which was breached last year as the airport welcomed 36m passengers.

While the Government has argued it is essential for Ireland’s economic growth, those who live near to Dublin Airport have said they are already plagued with the noise and health impacts from the volumes of traffic. Concerns about increased emissions have also been raised.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair told the committee that flight paths are set for them by the authorities and they must adhere to what is assigned to them. In the case of Aer Lingus, Ms Embleton said it had written to the DAA twice last year over the issue of flight paths.

Bleak picture

The airlines and airline lobby groups painted a bleak picture of what would happen if the cap is not urgently lifted.

This includes significant cuts to services next summer as airlines cannot plan amid uncertainty over how many passengers will be allowed while the Trump administration in the US may take “retaliatory” action if it believes Ireland has breached the US-EU Open Skies agreement.

Chris Sununu, the chief executive of lobby group Airlines for America, told the committee that Ireland could lose slots at New York JFK as an example of the kind of retaliation the US might implement for imposing a cap on flights here.

“You think this administration will have one of its bilateral agreements violated? This is not what these guys do,” he said.

Mr Sununu said that if there is a reduction in travel between Ireland and the US, businesses could also pull money for losing the direct link, which could affect jobs.

He said that “the money and opportunity” would go to other countries, with London airports in particular eyeing up slots allocated to Dublin, which Ireland should not let happen.

“You know who wants to see the passenger cap in place more than anyone?,” he asked. “The Brits.” 

 The idea of reallocating flights from Dublin to regional airports such as Cork or Shannon was dismissed by the groups.

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, pointed to Dublin’s status as a key hub linking Europe with North American destinations and said that airlines outside of Ireland would only look to Dublin given this important status.

He said Dublin is missing out on “massive opportunities” for connectivity in other parts of the world.

“The idea that airlines outside of Ireland are going to consider flying to Shannon is nonsense,” he said. 

“You need to put it to bed. It’s never going to happen.” 

'We do what we're told'

Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson said Ryanair can grow from 23m passengers to 35m in Ireland by 2035 if the cap is lifted, but this capacity will be brought elsewhere in Europe and North Africa if the cap stays.

He also refused to apologise for calling locals who have criticised the impacts of flight noise on their lives as “nimbys” (not-in-my-back-yards).

“I won’t withdraw it at all, it’s accurate,” he said. “Airlines have flight paths set out. It’s not a question of whether you want to be a good neighbour or not.

“We take those instructions. If the flight paths change, the flight paths change. Simple as that. It’s nothing to do with [saving fuel or time]. We do what we’re told. If you’ve to fly in a figure of eight, that’s what we do.

“While there are concerns on noise, it has become conflated with the cap. It’s very simple. The cap has to be lifted. It’s disastrous here if you don’t get it lifted. All the growth we have will go elsewhere in Europe.”