The public are in support of Dublin Airport Authority’s (DAA) bid to increase passenger capacity at Dublin Airport despite significant government opposition to the move.
A Red C poll featured in the Sunday Business Post shows that 47% of people support passenger expansion at the airport while 21% feel numbers should stay as they are, and 32% have ‘no strong opinion’.
(DAA) has applied to increase a cap on passenger numbers from 32 million to 40 million per annum with Aer Lingus’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), calling on the government to “urgently” increase the cap in order to avoid losing out on economic opportunities.
Ryanair chief, Michale O’Leary, has warned that flights this summer are likely to be 10% more expensive compared to last year as the airport and carriers struggle to cater for increasing demand for flights.
Ryanair has been hit by a delay in the delivery of new Boeing aircraft it had ordered which has impacted the airline’s passenger number forecast.
The airline’s original prediction for the year to the end of March 2025 to carry 205 million passengers, an increase from passenger numbers of 183.5 million passengers over the previous 12 months.
O’Leary said that, “With less aircraft, maybe we’ll have to bring that 205 million down towards 200 million passengers. ‘It might be a scratch below 200 million, we just don’t know at this stage.”
‘That probably means that even our growth this year is going to be constrained in Europe, and I think that leads to a higher-fare environment across Europe for summer 2024. Fares in summer 2024 are going to be up again on summer 2023.” he said.
“Our average air fares in summer 2023 rose 17%. We don’t think we’ll see that kind of double-digit fare increase this year.”
O’Leary continued that Ryainair is doing its budget based on “a fare increase of 5-10%”, warning that this could be higher or lower.
“If capacity was growing, I think fares would be falling,” he said.
Fierce debate over the issue has taken place in cabinet with Fingal County Council saying that DAA did not include private jets in its aviation emissions assessment section on the planning application to increase capacity at the airport.
Environmental concerns have been flagged as increased emissions from the proposed expansion of air traffic come into conflict with green policies to reduce emissions.
Green Party TD and Minister of State for Community Development, Integration, and Charities, Joe O’Brien, entered an official objection to DAA’s application saying the development would “significantly increase noise exposure from aircraft to residents of north county Dublin and cause a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.”