Government to consider legislation to abolish Dublin Airport passenger cap

By Gráinne Ní Aodha and Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

The Government is to give the green light to drafting laws that would abolish a divisive passenger cap at Dublin Airport.

The 32 million passenger cap, a planning condition issued by the local authority where the airport is based, has come under legal and political scrutiny.

Concerns have been raised that it could hamper the Irish economy and connectivity, while others say it should not be lifted as Ireland attempts to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has criticised Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the Government for not removing the cap over a year after entering office.

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien brought a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday on legislation that would remove the cap.

He said it was “very detailed and it is a complex piece of legislation”.

“There’s three principles that are enshrined in the legislation, and one is the power to amend the existing cap, the power to revoke a cap, but also, very importantly, looking into the future, to include any acquisition of a cap into the future based on any future application,” he said.

“I’ll be bringing the legislation to Cabinet this morning, we’ll publish the draft scheme shortly thereafter, and then, subject to some minor amendments, will bring it into the Oireachtas.

“I do intend to do pre-legislative scrutiny and get the committee to look at it, but I would ask that be done on an expedited basis.”

He said that national infrastructure as “critical” as Dublin Airport should not be overseen by a local authority and they would look to deem the airport as critical infrastructure.

Asked if environmental concerns had gone out the window, Business Minister Peter Burke said “they’re absolutely not”.

“If you look at aviation, technology is moving fast, but it still has a journey to go,” he said.

“We’re an island economy, we’re not going to essentially push the airport into the abyss and have no more growth for our economy, no more growth for the tourism sector.

“So I think as an island economy, that’s very clear, air connectivity is pivotal to our success story as a country.”

Asked if he had been in touch with O’Leary on the issue, he said he had not been.

The decision comes a month after O’Leary criticised the government over doing “very little” on the passenger cap, housing or infrastructure in the first 13 months in office.

“It’s not like they’ve been busy passing other legislation last year,” O’Leary said of the passenger cap at a high-profile press conference in Dublin.