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THE IRISH AVIATION (IAA) has proposed implementing a seat capacity limit of 25.2 million at Dublin Airport for the Summer 2025 scheduling season.
The Summer 2025 scheduling season will run from 30 March to 25 October.
The IAA is responsible for identifying and determining the capacity at Dublin Airport and setting the consequent parameters for slot allocation.
It said that in doing so, “the IAA is required to take account of all relevant technical, operational and environmental constraints”.
This includes a passenger cap of 32 million, as set out in the 2007 planning conditions for the development of Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport.
In a statement this evening, IAA said: “To take account of the capacity constraint represented by this planning condition, the IAA proposes to implement a seat capacity limit of 25.2 million seats for the Summer 2025 scheduling season.”
The proposal will make next summer’s scheduling season the second one in which a seat cap is implemented to take account of the 32 million passenger cap.
For Winter 2024, running from 26 October 2024 to 29 March 2025, the seat cap is 14.4 million.
IAA said this Summer 2025 proposal would result in a total seat capacity of 39.6 million across the two seasons.
“The seat cap is greater than the passenger cap as it takes account of expected load factors (how many passengers are expected on each flight relative to the total number of seats on the aircraft), and an adjustment for transfer passengers,” explained an IAA spokesperson.
The IAA added that it anticipates demand for slots for the Summer 2025 season “would significantly exceed the proposed seat cap”.
Air carriers who have operated a series of slots of five weeks or longer in the Summer 2024 season would be given priority.
The IAA added that, like Winter 2024, its proposal “would result in very little, if any, available capacity for new slot requests, or for ad hoc slot requests, for passenger flights using the capacity of Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 during the Summer 2025 scheduling season”.
It said this “flows as a consequence of the planning condition”.
The IAA said it has no power to “amend or revoke planning conditions” and that it is “not for the IAA to assess the merits or otherwise of the condition itself”.
The IAA is holding a consultation on today’s draft decision, and has invited interested parties to make written submissions by email to consultation@iaa.ie by 26 September.
A final decision on the Summer 2025 capacity will be made next month.
The operator of Dublin Airport, DAA, said it will review the details of the proposal.
A spokesperson added that DAA “fully understand the disappointment that will be felt by the airlines already operating at Dublin who want to grow, and airlines that want to come here but can’t get slots”.
DAA CEO Kenny Jacobs said “we totally get that losing significant seats from the summer 2025 schedule has real consequences for airlines, people working at the airport and the travelling public, as well as knock-on impacts on tourism, jobs and the wider economy”.
He added that “we are between a rock and a hard place” and that this is “no longer just an airport or a planning issue, it is now an Ireland issue”.
He pointed to recent Fáilte Ireland figures which showed 53% of industry providers had fewer customers this summer than last.
“Airlines are allocating aircraft to other countries where they can grow,” said Jacobs.
He added: “We welcome efforts by the government to find a solution to the impasse while we wait for planning to lift the passenger cap to 40 million a year, which is in line with national aviation policy, the Fingal Development Plan and the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan.
“Until this happens, we have to support the IAA’s draft decision to cut seats despite the consequences for Ireland.”
A DAA spokesperson added: “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 3 December”.
Meanwhile, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to “order IAA to approve additional slots for Dublin airlines in Winter 2024, and again in Summer 2025”.
O’Leary said this would allow Ryanair and other airlines “to add extra flights this Winter for Leinster Rugby matches, Lapland Santa Claus flights, and for Irish families returning home to Dublin at Christmas”.
He called the passenger cap “idiotic” and said that it was implemented “because of concerns in 2007 that road traffic around Dublin airport would collapse when traffic reached 32 million passengers”.
O’Leary said the proposal would cut Dublin Airport’s traffic by 1 million seats in Summer 2025.
“Irish tourism cannot afford to lose 1m visitors in Summer 2025 simply because Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has failed to act,” said O’Leary.
He added: “If Eamon Ryan won’t put Irish transport and Irish tourism first, then he should resign his Ministry and allow somebody competent to do the job.
“Alternatively, An Taoiseach Simon Harris should intervene and insist that the Government issues a Ministerial Direction to the IAA to allow Dublin Airport to continue to grow while the DAA and Fingal CoCo go through the planning process to scrap this idiotic 17 year old traffic cap.”
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Aldi is showing the way forward. Lidl as well.
Was in Dunnes in Swords this morning! The special offers are few and far between! Prices are definitely creeping up again! And to top it all off, there’s hardly anyone working in it! Can’t wait for the new Lidl store to open!
It’s not surprising, a couple of years ago I was getting a decent weekly shop for €30-€40 now I am paying more like €60 a week. I like to shop around to ensure that Irish businesses get my money but I am beginning to think I should just stick with Lidl or Aldi.
Lisa, if you want to help the economy you should shop for the best deal for you and your family. Ths will force reailers to try and attract your business by reducing prices and maintaining or improving quality.
Lower prices will enable consumers to spread their into other sectors.
Ben while that is true, Tesco is known for forcing farmers to sell their produce at a crazy low price.
While one could suggest why don’t they sell to the highest bidder. Tesco et al dictate price and if the farmer doesn’t sell at the price they have no one else to buy it.
How can a farmer make a profit on the likes of lettuce when it’s being sold for 25cent.
JFK said that Farming was the only industry where people have to buy supplies at consumer prices and sell the finished goods at wholesale prices.
Iceland food store is brilliantly fair cheap on everything.. Lidl is very reasonable too.. When it comes to loyalty I’m sorry but I can only afford the cheapest with all these damn taxes
A few years ago it was almost shameful to be shopping in lidldi now it’s cool to do so!
In Holland, you see Doctor’s stepping out of Lidl in to their Mercs. People off all classes shop there. Here there was the new money snobbery, there they just viewed it as getting food at a reasonable price. A smart thing to do. There is an awful lot of people here who regret the keeping up appearances bolloxology now.
I would say thought that people should try to buy Irish if at all possible, the profits stay here, and they come back to you in wages, services jobs etc. A Euro spent on local produce is worth 2 to the economy.
Excellent point Fagan. I lived in Aus for a year and they really pushed buying Aussie goods.
We should try do the same.
Eddie Hobbs has us all believing everything Irish is a rip off. Having been to Aus and Finland among other countries I can honestly say Ireland Is not a rip off.
It will never be cool.
Agreed a few years ago there were so many people going around as though their $h1t did not stink and would not be seen near a lidl or aldi store, now times are different and reality bites, these large stores do offer good value but not on everything, people should learn to mix n match between local stores and the big multiples and spread their spend around, here in mainland europe small food retailers work alongside larger multiples and offer good value service & quality produce its a win win in relation to the customer, back to basics is the way forward
Try to shop local as much as I can, hate to see so much money leaving the country especially making the German economy stronger and ours getting weaker by the day, just my point of view
I agree. I try and shop in Dunnes as much as possible and I like the fact Dunnes tell you how many Irish goods you buy on their receipt.
where I live there is a Lidl, Supervalu, Tesco, Dunnes, Iceland & Aldi prob inside a square mile. Out of all of them it is Aldi for me. One of the reasons I shop in Aldi is the amount of Irish food, all most all their meat is from quality assured Irish farms, the crisp isle is mostly all Snackrite, which is made by Largo food (Tayto). loads of bread there is Irish, and actually nice unlike Lidl bread (not taking about their bakery) Heaps of Taste awards, and Blas na Eireann awards. really good quality Irish foods at great prices, specially selected sausages taste like superquinn ones. The say they try to stock as much Irish fruit n veg as they can, milk cheese yogurt eggs all Irish the mark all their Irish products with the tri-colour so its very easy to do a completely Irish shop. (I don’t work for Aldi :) )
The decline is due to the increase in cost.
Guys and girls. Prices are going to rise a lot more .
Oil is up. Our food is grown in petro chemicals ,transported in trucks and wrapped in plastics .
On top of that there is increased demand for food worldwide.
Tesco et al will not be able to hide price increases for too long and I have to agree with the above comments. I think the special offers are getting scarce. Especially for actual items you would use.
Not to sound like a broken record here but banks and hedgefunds have a huge part to blame in rising food prices. Morally and ethically wrong to be speculating on food prices but hey whats new.
It’s very morally wrong.
I work in a small fruit and veg shop…probably the only one around for miles because most have closed their doors, each morning we’re at the market, buying the freshest produce so customers are guaranteed high quality food, when in season, we get loads of produce from local growers. The big supermarkets have a few items cheaper, but on the whole, I’d say we’re cheaper in the long run. And everything is totally fresh, unlike supermarket stuff which is in cold storage for weeks. Support your locality, best for everyone.
My husband was made redundant from a wonderful supplier in fruit markets dublin, it was so sad to see a family business close after 60 odd years:-( i hope your fruit and veg shop sees the tough times through! :-)
One would not wonder why people are staying away they are going the same way as the publicans for years when trade fell back they increased their prices to make up for the loss of trade , now I have noticed the supermarkets are increasing prices, a rise of about 16 percent on a lot of items over the last 6 months, I for one leave it on the shelf and when it does not sell it is reduced for a few days to try and get rid of old stock, then is the time to buy, they should know that the customers are on a tight budget this day and age. as we are been robbed left right and centre by the government of the day.
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