It had urged the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) not to make additional capacity available between 6am and 7am for the season. However, the IAA has said it has “not been convinced” by the airline’s argument that it should retain the early-morning coordination parameters that were in use this summer.
Ryanair has described the additional runway and terminal capacity being made available next summer as “a necessary and welcome development”.
The IAA issued a draft determination last month which it said would mean additional slots for aircraft at Dublin Airport for the 2026 summer season. It said it had decided not to restrict capacity despite the annual passenger cap.
The authority is to add 25 more take-off and landing slots each day during next summer’s season, which runs from March to October. It has now confirmed that this is its final decision.
After the draft determination was published, Aer Lingus urged the IAA not to introduce additional arrival slots between 6am and 7am. “We believe the decision to increase arrivals in this hour does not adequately account for the operational risks identified,” the airline’s director of schedules planning and alliances, Steve Ronald, told the IAA.
He said there are constraints on aircraft parking stands, even after a planning decision was made during the summer that allowed use of Dublin Airport’s second runway from 6am onwards.
“The simulated increase in delays during this period suggests a degradation in performance that could impact on OTP [On-time Performance] and passenger experience,” he said. “The lack of mitigation measures for stand congestion undermines the rationale for increasing capacity.”
But the IAA disagreed. It argued that the impact of the changes is of “minor significance” and will be offset throughout the day.
Ryanair supported the capacity increases being introduced for next summer. “It aligns with the national aviation policy and supports the growth and connectivity objectives of Dublin Airport,” the airline’s director of regulatory and competition, Eoin Kealy, told the IAA.
“The increased capacity will enhance operational efficiency, reduce delays, and improve the overall passenger experience,” he said. “We consider this development as crucial for maintaining Dublin Airport’s status as a key gateway to Ireland and for supporting the island economy.”
Last July, Fingal County Council issued an enforcement notice to the DAA giving it two years to comply with a 2007 planning condition that limits annual passenger traffic at Dublin Airport to 32 million. The airport is on course to handle more than 36 million passengers this year.
The DAA has sought a judicial review of that decision, arguing that it is not possible to comply within two years.
The Government is planning to introduce legislation to remove the passenger cap, while the High Court has referred a number of related questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
With no further progress expected this year the cap is likely to remain, as least in theory, for many months to come.