Friday, May 31, 2024 Today (May 30th), Ryanair, recognized as Ireland’s premier airline, appealed to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to urgently eliminate the 32 million passenger limit at Dublin Airport following the airline’s receipt of one million fewer seats than needed for the upcoming winter season. This shortfall affects travelers during key periods such as the October mid-term, major sports events, and the Christmas season. Earlier in May, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) set a winter cap of 14.
4 million passengers at Dublin Airport, marking the first instance of such a restriction. Despite Ryanair’s plans to increase traffic by 9% and launch 15 new routes, the cap has left them with only 6.4 million seats, significantly less than the 7.
5 million needed, thereby harming Irish tourism and escalating flight prices to levels reminiscent of the 1980s. Further exacerbating the situation, Ryanair has had to relocate three aircraft (a $300 million investment), 16 new routes, and over 200 jobs to Southern Italy for the summer of 2024, all of which would have contributed to Dublin’s economy if not for the restrictive cap. Additionally, the airline had to withdraw its environmentally-friendly Boeing 8200 aircraft, which reduce CO2 emissions by 16% and noise by 40%, due to inadequate environmental planning by the Dublin Airport Authority (daa), as confirmed by the IAA.
With local elections on the horizon next Friday (June 7th), Ryanair is urging the electorate to support.
