The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has published its draft decision on slot coordination parameters for Dublin Airport for the Winter 2026 scheduling season, outlining how capacity at the State’s busiest airport will be managed during the period from 25th October 2026 to 27th March 2027.
The proposed parameters will be used by the independent slot coordinator to allocate take-off and landing slots at Dublin Airport, determining how many aircraft movements may be scheduled at different times of the day. Slot coordination is required at airports where demand for operations exceeds the available infrastructure, particularly during peak periods.
An airport “slot” is essentially a permission to use the runway and terminal infrastructure at a specific time. At highly congested airports such as Dublin, airlines cannot simply add flights whenever they wish. Instead, capacity is carefully assessed and declared in advance, typically in intervals of up to ten minutes, to ensure that runway, terminal, gate, security and air traffic control resources can operate safely and efficiently.
Under EU law, when an airport is designated as coordinated, all commercial flights must hold a slot before they can operate. This system is designed to prevent congestion, delays and service quality deterioration, while ensuring that scarce capacity is distributed fairly and transparently between airlines.
The IAA is responsible for implementing the EU Airport Slot Regulation (Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93) in Ireland. The Regulation requires that:
- Airport capacity is objectively assessed,
- Declared capacity reflects operational and safety constraints,
- Slots are allocated by an independent coordinator, and
- Established rules are applied consistently across all airlines.
Once the IAA declares the coordination parameters, slots are allocated by the slot coordinator according to the rules set out in the Regulation, including provisions for historic slots, new entrants and efficient use of capacity.
Proposed Capacity Increase
In its draft decision, the IAA proposes coordination parameters that would allow for up to 32 additional daily slots at Dublin Airport during Winter 2026. Importantly, the authority states that this increase can be accommodated without degrading current service quality, following its capacity analysis.
The IAA notes that additional slot availability has the potential to support increased competition by giving airlines the opportunity to introduce new routes or add frequencies, particularly at peak times where capacity has historically been constrained.
No Seat Cap Proposed for Winter 2026
The draft decision also reflects the current legal context surrounding passenger capacity at Dublin Airport. In accordance with an Order of the High Court, pending the outcome of associated legal proceedings, the IAA has not taken into account certain planning conditions that limit the combined passenger capacity of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 to 32 million passengers per annum.
As a result, the authority does not propose to implement a seat-cap coordination parameter for the Winter 2026 season. The draft parameters therefore focus on aircraft movement capacity rather than passenger volumes.
Consultation
The IAA has opened a consultation on the draft decision and is inviting responses from stakeholders. Submissions must be received no later than 5 pm on Wednesday, 22nd April 2026, and should be sent by email to consultation@iaa.ie. The draft decision and supporting technical material are available on the IAA’s slot allocation webpage.
Once the consultation process is complete, the IAA will consider submissions before publishing its final decision, which will then form the basis for slot allocation at Dublin Airport for Winter 2026.
