RYANAIR HAS APPLIED for extra winter slots at Dublin Airport ahead of a meeting between its CEO Michael O’Leary and junior transport minister James Lawless today.

The company has said that it expects the applications for the additional flights between between December and January, which it says it applied for so that fans can travel from Ireland for Leinster rugby matches, will be rejected.

Matches are an example of when circumstances arise where additional flights to Dublin are needed, but firms are unable to cater to potential customers due to the passenger cap in place at the Airport.

A contentious passenger cap, which was placed on Dublin Airport in the late 2000s, was aimed at reducing the risk that roads around the area would be damaged with increased footfall. It has since been retained as a method to curb flight emissions.

O’Learly argues that it should be scrapped, however, over claims that there is no need for a “traffic cap” since the extensive development of the area surrounding Dublin Airport and that the cap is impacting businesses and opportunities.

“Yet again, we wish Leinster and their supporters every success in the ERCC and URC this winter. Sadly, we have not yet secured slots from the IAA for these extra Dublin flights to Bristol, La Rochelle and Cardiff, because of the outdated (2007) 32m passenger cap at Dublin Airport,” the airline’s CEO said today. 

DAA, the firm which operates the Airport, has said that it is currently operating at the level of the current cap, 32 million passengers each year, and has voiced concern that it will bypass the limitation in the coming months.

JetBlue, an American airliner, were unable to apply to slots at Dublin last year over these concerns. The operators previously said it is looking at methods to bypass the cap, including applying so that the building be recognised as strategic infrastructure. 

Later today, Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless is set with meet with O’Leary about the passenger cap issue and other ongoing matters in the Irish aviation industry.

It will be the second time O’Leary has met with TDs over the issue in recent months.

The latest gathering is part of a multi-meeting consultation process with stakeholders in the sector after Ryanair and Aer Lingus got approval from the High Court to challenge the cap.

Lawless has planned to meet with Aer Lingus, Fingal County Council, the Irish Aviation Authority, Ibec, Restaurants Association of Ireland and the Irish Travel Agents Association as part of the consultation process.