Ryanair applies for extra winter slots as it pressures Coalition into raising Dublin Airport passenger cap

Ryanair has said it expects a request for additional flight slots at Dublin Airport this winter will be rejected by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) as it looks to pressure the Government into raising the annual 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
The airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary is due to to meet Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless on Wednesday as part of a series of talks between the Fianna Fáil TD and stakeholders this week on the cap.
In advance of the meeting, Ryanair said it has sent Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan a draft ministerial letter. If the document is signed by the Minister and sent to the IAA, the airline claims it will “end the crisis” over the passenger cap this winter while Fingal County Council arrives at a decision on whether or not to increase the cap.
DAA, the State-owned operator of Dublin Airport, applied to the council in December 2023 to increase the cap to 40 million as part of a wider infrastructure plan, with the local authority requesting further information in February. It is now also preparing to lodge an interim application that only seeks to increase the passenger cap, in the hope that this will hasten its lifting.
But Mr O’Leary said on Thursday there is an immediate need for extra slots this winter to accommodate demand for flights while the local authority makes a decision.
Ryanair has claimed that without the additional winter slots, Leinster Rugby will be unable to travel on chartered Ryanair flights to some of its European Rugby Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship away fixtures over the coming months.
Mr O’Leary said in a statement: “This is the latest example of the absurdity of the Dublin Airport 32 million passenger cap, and the urgent need for action by An Taoiseach Simon Harris and An Tánaiste Micheál Martin to scrap this cap where failed Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has repeatedly refused to act.”
Leinster Rugby and the IAA have been approached for comment.
DAA said last week that record-breaking travel demand will see passenger numbers exceed its annual 32 million passenger cap this year, putting the aviation hub operator in breach of the planning parameters set by An Bord Pleanála in 2007.
The company said it has made “extensive efforts” to keep to those parameters. But the final figure is likely to be closer to 33 million passengers after August proved to be the busiest month ever in its 84-year history.
Speaking on Tuesday in advance of talks with stakeholders, Mr Lawless said he believes the cap is “antiquated”. He pointed to data showing that the percentage of passengers travelling to the airport by bus had grown from 15 per cent in 2006 to 35 per cent this year, arguing that this took millions of car passengers off the road.
He said he was willing to listen to any potential solutions from stakeholders. “I want to be creative and innovative in finding a way through this impasse.”