August 24, 2022
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The recently constructed North Runway at Dublin Airport commenced operations today with the 12.00 departure of Ryanair flight FR1964 to Eindhoven.
The €320m North Runway (designated 10L/28R) and associated facilities were delivered on schedule and on budget by daa at no cost to the State. The new runway, located on daa lands some 1.69 kilometres north of Dublin Airport’s existing South Runway, will support the creation of 31,200 new jobs and €2.2 billion in additional economic activity. The development of North Runway has been part of Dublin Airport’s long-term strategic planning and land use prioritisation since the 1960s, which has enabled delivery within Dublin Airport’s existing campus, substantially mitigating cost, disruption and limiting construction time.
North Runway fulfils a key mandate set by the Government’s National Aviation Policy, by enabling Dublin Airport to develop as an international hub for leading airlines and enhancing connectivity of Ireland’s island economy for the benefit of consumers, tourism and Foreign Direct Investment. North Runway will facilitate larger aircraft and connectivity with long-haul destinations as well as much needed extra runway slot capacity for short-haul flights during early morning and late evening peak departure and arrival periods.
North Runway is critical to Dublin’s growing position as a hub for travel between Europe and North America, in particular. Enhanced connectivity will mean a greater choice of destinations and airlines for business and leisure customers, as well as competitive fares. Ensuring Dublin Airport is attractive to airlines is vital to ensure aviation business is not lost to Ireland, with no other airport on the island having the route network necessary to support acting as a gateway between Europe and North America.
daa CEO, Dalton Philips said:
“The opening of North Runway is an exciting milestone for Dublin Airport and Ireland, with the delivery of this once-in-a-generation piece of vital national infrastructure positioning Ireland for economic growth for many decades to come. The addition of North Runway will further enhance the role of Dublin Airport as a vital economic enabler for Irish tourism, trade and foreign direct investment. I am enormously proud of everyone who helped deliver this remarkable piece of aviation engineering both on budget and on schedule, ready to commence operation at a vital time for aviation and for Ireland.”
You may be interested in watching a video of the first flight taking off from the runway – click here
*Pictured at North Runway’s opening were (left to right): Shane Hamm, Delivery Terminals, Dublin Airport; Diarmuid O Conghaile, Aviation Regulator/CEO Designate, IAA; Caoimhe McQuillan, Asset Management, Dublin Airport; Dalton Philips, Chief Executive, daa; Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State for Transport; Cllr Howard Mahony, Mayor of Fingal; Basil Geoghegan, Chairman, daa; Peter Kearney, Chief Executive, IAA; and Maurice Hennessy, North Runway Executive Director, daa
