Overview
- The Dublin Airport Passenger Capacity Bill would empower the transport minister to revoke or amend the 32 million limit and prevent any future cap.
- The cap, imposed as a 2007 planning condition for Terminal 2, is not currently enforced after the High Court referred airline challenges to European courts.
- Dublin Airport handled a record 36.4 million passengers in 2024, and January traffic rose 14% year on year to 2.48 million.
- Airport operator daa has a live infrastructure application with Fingal County Council referencing a 40 million parameter and seeking extra stands, apron expansion, access improvements and parking.
- The Green Party criticizes the plan on climate grounds, while ministers argue air connectivity is vital and consider designating the airport critical infrastructure; Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary has urged scrapping the cap.