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LAST UPDATE | 22 Nov 2023
THE OPERATOR OF Dublin Airport has warned that a continuation of its current passenger cap could have an impact on charter flights for major sporting events such as the Six Nations and the 2024 Uefa Europa League final in Dublin.
DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs said the airport is fully compliant with its current cap of 32 million passengers per year but said the limit is leading to “tough conversations” with airlines.
Appearing before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, Jacobs said DAA will be making a planning submission to lift the passenger cap by 25% to 40 million as quickly as possible but added it “will take a while”.
In the meantime, Jacobs said DAA is “managing down capacity” by taking away growth incentives for airlines and taking out transit passengers.
He said there would be further difficult choices for general aviation and charter flights, for example around major sporting events.
“We may be saying you need to go to Shannon, Cork, Belfast because we are managing to the 32 million.”
He said scheduled commercial flights have to take priority over chartered flights.
Jacobs told the committee members that caps on passenger numbers “do not work” for sustainability and warned that 16,000 jobs that could be created around Ireland would be lost.
“Caps don’t stop flying, they just move the flying somewhere else,” he said.
He said a cap on passenger numbers would reduce connectivity and move flights to other hubs such as Manchester and Edinburgh.
He added: “Caps don’t work for sustainability and they don’t work for moving capital city traffic to regional airports.”
Jacobs also said fares would go up and “sustainability would go backwards” as airlines would not place newer, quieter, and more fuel-efficient aircraft in Ireland.
He said: “We are now turning airlines away, we are turning growth away.”
Asked by Green Party TD Steven Matthews how a previous announcement from Dublin Airport that it had welcomed 32.9 million passengers in one year was not a breach of the cap, Jacobs explained that the planning laws allow for the exclusion of transfer passengers.
He said the cap was about “surface access” of passengers who travel to the airport in a vehicle.
Jacobs said DAA was confident in its position that this was the correct interpretation of the planning restriction.
On noise, Jacobs apologised that some communities were not consulted around flights between August last year and February this year.
He told members that there had been a 50% reduction on noise in 2023 when compared with 2019.
He said: “We take noise very, very seriously.”
Jacobs said the use of the north runway had led to a 99% reduction in the use of the crosswind runway on windy days, which routed flights over Whitehall, Beaumont and Santry.
DAA also launched a 25% discount on airport charges for new, quieter, and cleaner aircraft this year.
The chief executive said Dublin Airport had insulated 150 homes from noise, out of more than 200 eligible.
He added: “I see us insulating probably a couple hundred homes in the years ahead.”
Jacobs said 38 homes “very near” the end of the runway had been bought out at 30% above the market price.
He told Matthews that DAA was looking at getting a limit of 65 night-time movements changed to a noise quota, adding: “That’s a much better option.”
The north runway opened in 2022. In 2019, there were more than 100 aircraft movements between 11pm and 7am.
The DAA chief executive said it was “totally inappropriate” that fewer night-time flights were happening than when Dublin Airport was operating such flights from one runway.
Jacobs said Dublin Airport was a “good neighbour” in Fingal and that it had a €10 million community engagement fund.
He also told the politicians that Dublin Airport aims to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050.
He said this would be achieved by reducing carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 and converting 100% of the airport’s light fleet to LEVs by 2025.
Jacobs said he expects Dublin Airport to submit a further planning application for an even higher passenger cap in the future.
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Let’s hope Adrian Bayley will get a taste of his own medicine while inside. Karma is a wonderful thing. :)
I see the trolls ‘ red thumb brigade’ are out again. Bloody morons!!!
He raises a pertinent question though, what the hell point is there having a maximum sentence if it’s not going to be imposed.
With this guy’s previous history and then this case on top, if he didn’t warrant it I shudder, shudder to thing what actually would.
My heart poors for this guy and i agree he was let down by the justice system …. but maybe not something that should be a headline in this country …. rape carries 15 years in Oz.? Try 15 weeks over here
This man had already raped 8 women prior to murdering Jill and only served 10 years altogether. He also broke someone jaw whilst out on parole for rape. Australian justice system is a joke, too focused on the offender as opposed to the community.
These types of yokes should not be getting let out of jail after a set number of years, they should be kept inside if they’re not safe. And most of them don’t even look for help inside but they still get let out.. our own “beast of the east” LM got let out and he’s free now to prey on potential victims. These fiends should stay locked up in my opinion.
They should be locked up for life if they cannot be rehabilitated. Right now we gather the worst in society and throw them into a building where they are expected to be kept for a number of years. Then they’re just thrown back into the world after an arbitrary number of years has been fulfilled. It’s no wonder the western world has such high rates of reoffending with a system like that.
Exactly Jason, that’s what I’m saying, these types shouldn’t get a release date while they’re still a danger..
Was nearly in tears watching this chap on the news. I hope he takes a civil action and sues the a*** off them
A lot of red thumbs again tonight in response to what decent people are expressing. If one has any compassion for Gill, her husband and family what is their problem with decent people expressing their views. All I can say some sickos trolling the journal and in support obviously of vile rapists and murderers. Sad but very true! Lets see how many ref thumbs?
Heartbreaking interview. At least some justice has been served. RIP
He should never be allowed out of prison as long as he draws breath. I don’t know why he can’t get life. And I mean real ‘life’- not like this country. We should also take notice in this country of letter sex offenders out on parole. They’re monsters who will offend again!
I think Tom Meagher is right about the remorse. I’m sure Bayley’s lawyer pointed out to him that if he showed some remorse he’d get a few years off his sentence. Crocodile tears. The man shouldn’t have been out on bail and now he should have a whole-life sentence with no possibility of his ever getting out.
It’s heartbreaking, that poor man
God damn judges are the same all over the world. They play gods and seem to enjoy showing mercy to monsters. Judges should be replaced by a software driven logic.
I agree Mary. Predators such as these, do not have the capacity to experience remorse, let alone understand its meaning. It’s a foreign concept to them, like a foreign language is to us.
Sadly the shit will be on a secure wing, which will be hard to access by any one other than staff.
It is so sad and the family is so brave.
I am ashamed of the Australian Legal System.
RIP
Unfortunately here in Ireland rapists get off lightly too. The kind of sentence given in the article below is an absolute disgrace and sends out the complete wrong message.
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