Restriction on number of passengers could send Xmas prices for London to Dublin single fares higher than £400
RYANAIR boss Michael O’Leary has said that passengers using Dublin Airport could face higher prices this Xmas — perhaps as much as €500 (approx. £430) due the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
A reduction of up to 1million passengers may be required to ensure that the 32 million per year ceiling at the airport, implemented by the Irish government, is not breached next year — according to the airline.
The Irish Aviation Authority is responsible for slot allocation at Dublin Airport. It has already put a cap of 14.4m passengers in place for the upcoming winter season to ensure the planning permission isn’t breached - the first time a seat capacity limit has actually been used at the airport.
Ryanair said airlines using Dublin Airport have been warned they will not receive extra slots for Christmas flights this winter
"We can't run slots at Christmas, nobody's going to be allowed to run extra flights, and therefore the fares this Christmas will be probably double or triple what they have been in recent years - there won't be enough capacity to fulfil the demand," he said.
As a result, Mr O'Leary said one-way fares between Dublin and London over Christmas could cost €500.
In addition next summer fares will be higher if the number of airline seats has to be reduced in order to comply with the Irish government’s ongoing passenger cap.
"Any such cuts will do real damage to Irish tourism and Irish jobs and will result in much higher air fares for Irish citizens and their families going abroad in summer 2025," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has now contacted every affected airline and the Dublin Airport Authority inviting proposals on how the reduction will be implemented in practice, and how the proposals can be made to work.
This prompted O’Leary to say on RTÉ that the IAA “don’t even know what they’re up to”. He wants the government to scrap the cap, which was put in place as part of the planning permission for the second terminal at the airport.
But many environmentalists have welcomed the cap and the higher airfares — as a means of reducing emissions from air travel. Currently emissions from air travel worldwide accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, contributing around 4% to global warming to date.
However, the cap at Dublin Airport has not been implemented for environmental reasons. Dublin Airport's passenger cap was set in 2008 by An Bord Pleanála (the Irish planning authority) to alleviate the problems with infrastructure of road transport to and from the airport.
The cap is 32 million passengers per year, with the operator, Dublin Airport Authority, estimating the demand to be between 34 million and 35 million passengers a year.
The cap has caused problems for passengers, airlines, and the economy. The Irish Tourism Industry Council (ITIC) — and the airlines — have both warned that the cap threatens the tourism industry, undermining government policy for the sector. Tourism is a major contributor to the Irish economy.
The report calculates that nine out of every 10 tourists arrive by air, and 75% of the industry is made up of overseas holidaymakers.
Members of the Irish in British community use the London to Dublin route extensively, with many believing there is no viable alternative to flying if a flight back to Ireland is necessary.
Dublin Airport is the 13th busiest airport in Europe (latest figures available 2023), and aviation experts have pointed to the fact that along with Malta, Ireland is the only island nation in the EU and should be accorded more EU funding to either upgrade infrastructure, or ensure alternative routes are available for residents and visitors alike.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced that 10 million passengers have passed through Bournemouth Airport since it began operations to/from Bournemouth in 1996. Ryanair was the first low-cost airline to operate at Bournemouth Airport and has grown its presence from a single route to/from Dublin to a 20-route operation connecting 9 countries across Europe with its 2 Bournemouth based aircraft.
