Ryanair has called on Minister of Transport Darragh O’Brien to support Ireland’s regional airports by expanding the scope of the Regional Airports Programme (RAP) to 3 million passengers per annum. At present, RAP only provides funding for regional airports with fewer than 1 million passengers, meaning that regional airports that grow traffic beyond that threshold lose their eligibility for this much-needed exchequer funding
Ryanair is calling on Minister O’Brien to increase this funding cap for Ireland’s regional airports to 3 million passengers, which they say is in line with EU State Aid rules, so regional airports can continue to access exchequer support as they grow.
According to the airline, they have grown traffic at Ireland’s regional airports 65% since pre-COVID, but continued growth is being unfairly limited by the scope of the programme, particularly at Ireland West Airport, which is close to reaching the limit.
Ryanair have said that if Minister O’Brien expands the RAP funding cap to 3 million passengers for 2026-30 (as well as lifting the Dublin Airport traffic cap), Ryanair will respond with a 50% traffic growth to 30 million passengers by 2030. This growth would see Ryanair double traffic at Shannon and Kerry, and open a new 2-aircraft base at Ireland West (Knock), driving important tourism and delivering economic benefit to the regions.
Ryanair’s Jade Kirwan said: “While we welcome yesterday’s €4m Regional Airports Programme funding across Knock, Kerry and Donegal, it is astounding that other regional airports, such as Shannon have lost their eligibility for funding under the Govt’s Regional Airports Programme simply because they have grown annual traffic beyond 1m passengers. Surely, we should be promoting tourism, jobs and economic growth for regional Ireland, not penalising airports for delivering it.”
“Ryanair wishes to grow traffic and tourism across Ireland, but this artificial cap is restricting much-needed economic development. As Shannon has seen this week, exceeding 1m passengers means losing the exchequer support needed for future expansion. We call on Minister O’Brien raise the funding cap for Ireland’s regional airports from 1m to 3m passengers p.a., ensuring Ireland’s regional airports remain eligible for funding under the Regional Airports Programme, allowing them to grow traffic without being penalised for doing so.”
Milestones Passed for Shannon and Kerry
Ryanair has also recently announced that it has carried 22 million passengers through Shannon Airport since it began operations at the airport in 1987. It follows on from a record Shannon schedule for Summer 2026, delivering 1.4 million seats across 30 routes. The airline also announced that it has carried 7 million passengers through Kerry Airport since it began operations at the airport in 1989. This winter, Ryanair is operating 58 weekly flights across 5 routes to and from Kerry Airport
