daa welcomes the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) confirmation today of its final decision to impose a seat cap mechanism for Dublin Airport during the summer 2025 season. daa is now reviewing the decision and awaiting the detailed supporting document which is due for publication later this week. However, the decision to cap seats next summer, while bad for Irish jobs, the economy and connectivity, should help Dublin Airport comply with planning in 2025.
daa’s job is to run Dublin Airport on behalf of Ireland, but daa does not have the power to stop airlines using slots or passengers boarding planes. In fact, daa would be acting illegally if it tried to prevent people from flying or flights taking off. As the IAA confirmed today, it is responsible for the implementation of the EU Airport Slot Regulation and is the body with the power to reduce aircraft flying to Dublin Airport. Had the IAA not made this decision as slots regulator, daa would continue to be left holding the problem of trying to comply with planning laws but without a solution in its power. While Dublin Airport wants to grow, cutting the seats coming to Dublin is the only way to meet the planning condition. Therefore today’s decision is welcomed by daa.
Commenting, daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: "We’ve done everything we can to dampen demand and have asked the High Court to review the IAA’s winter slot decision to avoid Dublin Airport exceeding the 32 million cap in 2024. Today’s announcement means we should be in a position to comply in 2025, which is to be welcomed. However, a million seats coming out next year has real financial consequences for Ireland. We estimate the damage to the economy to be at least €500 million, increasing to €700 million if we consider lost airfares too. There are also real consequences for airlines, people working at the airport and the travelling public, as well as knock-on impacts on tourism and jobs. This issue is no longer just an airport or a planning issue, it is now an Ireland issue. Lifting the passenger cap to 40 million passengers a year is in line with national aviation policy, the Fingal Development Plan and the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan. But while we wait for planning permission for this, we support the IAA’s decision to cut seats despite the consequences for Ireland.”
The IAA introduced a seat cap mechanism for the first time earlier this year when allocating slots for winter 2024/25 as part of efforts to comply with the 32-million terminal passenger cap. However, as the winter 2024/25 cuts did not go far enough to prevent terminal passenger numbers in 2024 exceeding the 32 million planning condition, daa has asked the High Court to intervene and the case will be heard on 3rd December. daa will now review the IAA’s decision for summer 2025.
