This week Ryanair welcomed the High Court ruling which stays the Dublin Airport cap and prevents the IAA from imposing slot restrictions for Summer 2025 until the EU Courts have ruled on the matter. Ryanair said it welcomes this sensible ruling as it believes that the Dublin Airport Cap is in breach of EU legislation on Freedom of Movement. Ryanair remains confident that EU law will trump the 2007 Fingal planning restriction and will allow airlines to grow traffic and tourism with the benefit of Dublin’s second runway.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said: “It is deeply regrettable that the airlines had to take legal action to stay the idiotic cap at Dublin Airport solely because Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan, wouldn’t do his job and issue a letter to the IAA. The Dublin Airport cap is in breach of EU law and any competent Transport Minister (not to mention Tourism Minister, Catherine Martin) would have acted to scrap this outdated and damaging cap.
Today’s High Court ruling clears the way for this matter to be referred to the European Courts where Ryanair is confident that this absurd road traffic restriction from 2007 will be removed, which will enable airlines like Ryanair to continue to grow traffic, tourism, and jobs in Ireland, where two Green Ministers (Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin) have failed to act for the last 5 years.
We hope the forthcoming Election will remove the deadhanded Green Party incompetence from Irish tourism and aviation so that Ryanair can return to growing at Dublin Airport instead of sending growth to Belfast, Italy and Poland.”
The court case was taken against the IAA by Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Air Transport Association Of America, Inc. (Trading As Airlines For America), Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways Corporation and United Airlines.
October Passenger Numbers
Meanwhile the airline operated 103,200 flights last month and carried 18.3 million passengers. This was a 7% increase on October 2023 – load factor was unchanged at 93%. On a rolling 12 month basis, the airline carried 194.8 million passenger, 8% up on the rolling 12 months to October 2023.
