Aviation regulator proposes 25m seat limit for Dublin Airport next summer

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has proposed a seat capacity limit on airlines with slots at Dublin Airport next summer as the aviation hub continues to grapple with a 32m limit on annual passenger traffic imposed almost two decades ago. In its draft decision on next summer’s scheduling season, which runs from the end of March 2025 to October, the regulator on Thursday proposed a seat capacity limit of 25.2m for next summer. If implemented, it would be the second consecutive flight scheduling season in which capacity growth at the airport has been curtailed as it struggles to keep under the cap imposed by An Bord Pleanála in 2007, when it first granted planning permission for the new north runway. DAA, the State-owned operator of Dublin Airport, has made a planning application to Fingal County Council to have the cap increased to 40m but the process has been hit with delays, pushing out the decision to an indeterminate date. In the meantime, DAA said last week it will likely breach the 32m upper limit on passenger traffic this year by about 1m passengers amid record-breaking demand for air travel, putting it in breach of planning law. Against this backdrop in May, the IAA for the first time introduced a 14.4m seat capacity limit at the airport for the winter 2024 season, from October 2024 to March 2025. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have said the IAA’s decision will limit their ability to grow capacity this winter and expand their route networks.<br/>