Dublin Airport in third bid to lift passenger cap

Dublin Airport will bid for a third time to end the row over its 32m-a-year passenger limit when it again asks planners on Thursday for an increase to 36m. Fingal County Council last month ruled invalid an application to lift the limit to 36m, lodged by State-owned airport operator DAA in December. The company intends to file a second application on Thursday with Fingal for a 4m boost to the controversial existing passenger cap, DAA confirmed. That application will be the third time the company has sought an increase to the limit. In December 2023, the airport operator asked the council to lift the cap to 40m when it had also applied for permission to extend airport facilities. DAA’s bid for a 4m increase is a short-term measure to allow Dublin Airport to cater for growing demand while planners consider the more complex 40m application. Fingal’s announcement last month that the first interim planning application was invalid sparked a row with DAA, which had earlier said the council had validated the application. The company later produced correspondence which it said confirmed this, but the council maintained this was not the case.<br/>