MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Darragh O’Brien will seek Cabinet approval this morning to lift the passenger cap that is in place at Dublin Airport. 

The proposed legislation would empower the minister to make an order to revoke or amend the 32 million passenger cap that is currently in place. It would also allow him to prevent future caps. 

Minister O’Brien is seeking to raise the current cap from 32 million passengers to 40 million passengers per year, with the rationale being that Dublin Airport is “essential” to Ireland’s future economic growth and competitiveness. 

Speaking to The Journal over Christmas, Minister O’Brien said the cap “needs to go” but that there are “legal complexities” within it. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously said it is “imperative” that the passenger cap is lifted.

The cap is a condition of the planning permission granted for the construction of Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 in 2007. 

In April last year, the High Court put a stay on the Dublin Airport passenger cap after a number of key issues relating to the case were referred to Europe, so currently the cap is effectively not in operation. 

Environmental concerns around the emissions from increased flights have been raised more recently, but were not the primary reason why the cap was introduced in the first place.

Vacancy and dereliction

Elsewhere, Minister for Finance and Tánaiste Simon Harris will today ask Cabinet to sign off on plans to extend a scheme to incentivise the development of homes in town centres.

The ‘living city’ initiative, which is already in place in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, will be extended to Athlone, Sligo, Letterkenny, Drogheda and Dundalk.

Under the scheme, property owners can claim tax relief on the cost of refurbishing or converting residential or commercial buildings. It comes as part of Government efforts to tackle urban vacancy and dereliction.

The Tánaiste will tell Cabinet that the local authorities in Westmeath, Sligo, Donegal and Louth have now all submitted draft Special Regeneration Area maps, within which the tax incentive will apply.

It is understood he expects applications will be open to people living in the five new towns by the summer.

It is further understood that the scheme is being extended to December 31, 2030.

The qualifying age of properties has been updated to include those built before 1975.

Meanwhile, in a bid to increase uptake of the scheme,  the maximum relief available to participating businesses will be increased from €200,000 to €300,000.