Airlines fear cut of one million passengers next summer at Dublin Airport, says Ryanair

Airlines fear the aviation regulator will cut Dublin Airport passengers by up to one million next summer to comply with a planning limit imposed on Ireland’s biggest gateway, according to Ryanair. Passenger numbers were capped at 32m in 2007 as a condition of allowing the airport to open a second terminal. Ryanair predicted on Friday that the cap could prompt the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to cut summer 2025 passenger numbers by up to a million in order to ensure the airport complies with the condition. “Any such reductions will damage Irish tourism and jobs, and will lead to much higher fares for passengers and Irish families going on holidays in 2025,” said the airline as it called on Government to scrap the limit. The IAA said it had made no decision relating to next summer. However, the authority is preparing to publish a draft decision early next month on the allocation of take-off and landing slots from March to October. That could propose limiting carriers to a total of 25.2m seats over the seven-month period, which industry figures agree would be a reduction of about a million on this summer. The authority said airport operator DAA tabled the 25.2m seat limit at a recent meeting of a co-ordination committee that advises the IAA on slot allocation.<br/>