Ryanair Says Traffic Cap at Dublin Airport Has Blocked Over 1 Million Seats This Winter

Ryanair has announced that over 1 million seats will be eliminated from its network this winter due to the passenger cap imposed at Dublin Airport (DUB). The Irish low-cost carrier is calling on Eamon Ryan, the Transport Minister of Ireland, to lift the cap to meet passenger demand and prevent rising airfare prices.

Ryanair argues that the latest slot allocation at DUB falls short of meeting the expected demand for holiday travel, resulting in airlines being unable to accommodate passengers. The carrier claims that the traffic cap could lead to a spike in flight prices, reminiscent of the high rates seen in the 1980s.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has set a winter capacity limit of 14.4 million passengers at DUB, marking the first time such a cap has been imposed. Ryanair, which planned to carry 7.5 million passengers and launch 15 new routes from DUB, was allocated only 6.4 million seats. The airline warns that this reduction will harm Ireland's tourism, jobs, and economy, while also causing airfares to soar.

As a result of the traffic cap, Ryanair has relocated three aircraft, 16 new routes, and over 200 jobs to Southern Italy, rather than Dublin. The carrier has also removed its environmentally friendly Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 aircraft from DUB due to the absence of a suitable environmental scheme by the airport operator, daa, confirmed by the IAA.

Eddie Wilson, Ryanair's CEO, criticized Transport Minister Eamon Ryan for failing to address the traffic cap issue at DUB over the past four years. Wilson called on Minister Ryan to lift the cap, describing it as "archaic and destructive" and crucial for maintaining jobs, tourism, and connectivity.

IAA documents reveal that DUB's runway hourly limits for arrivals and departures have remained unchanged year-on-year. During the last winter season, the daily runway limits were 589 arrivals and 619 departures, totaling 970 flights per day. These limits will continue for the upcoming winter season starting on October 27, 2024.

The IAA stated that airlines generally do not consider the planning conditions, which permit an annual capacity of 32 million passengers at DUB, to be a relevant constraint. However, the regulator established the seat cap conservatively, taking into account local residents' concerns. The airport operator, daa, emphasized that the planning conditions must be reflected in the slot allocation.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that between October 2023 and March 2024, DUB had 51,087 scheduled departures, equating to 9 million seats and 15.7 billion available seat kilometers (ASK). For the same period in 2024-2025, the airport will have slightly fewer flights (50,948) and seats (8.9 million) but more ASKs (16 billion).