Ryanair has said it can now add growth capacity at Dublin Airport next summer – in the form of both new routes and added frequency on existing routes – with the suspension of the controversial passenger cap at the airport.
Ryanair said its expansion should see it using some of its quieter Boeing 737 Gamechanger aircraft in Dublin.
Ryanair said the decision by the Irish High Court to refer the legality of the Dublin Airport Traffic Cap to the EU Court of Justice – where Ryanair believes the cap will be deemed illegal – will free up growth in the capital.
In a typically colourful reaction to the High Court decision, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary said: “[The] referral of the idiotic Dublin Airport Cap to the EU Court of Justice is good news, as it suspends this traffic cap for Summer 2025 which now allows Ryanair to grow traffic and tourism with new, more efficient quieter jets and lower fares. This would not have been necessary if our recent Green Transport Minister Eamon Ryan had only done his job.
“We welcome the success in the recent Election of those parties who committed to abolishing this idiotic and harmful traffic cap. Irish voters want traffic, tourism, and jobs growth. They want more low fares, and a lot less of failed Green Party stagnation and inaction.
“We call on the new FF/FG Government to expedite legislation in the new Dáil term to abolish this outdated 2007 traffic cap and allow Dublin and Ireland to enjoy the growth benefits which Dublin’s new second runway can now deliver for Irish tourism, Irish jobs, and Irish citizens. Good riddance to the Green Party who abjectly failed to deliver aviation solutions or growth for an island on the periphery of Europe.”