Chambers says Dublin Airport’s dominance makes ‘a joke’ of regional development

Senator Lisa Chambers has said Dublin Airport’s dominance is making ‘a joke’ out of government policy on balanced regional development.

The Fianna Fáil Senator explained the dominance is preventing Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK), Shannon and Cork from growing their passenger numbers and routes.

Speaking on the matter, Senator Chambers said she was ‘shocked’ when listening to Kenny Jacobs, CEO of Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“He displayed a complete lack of awareness of what is effectively a DAA monopoly of the Irish aviation landscape, the impact that is having on other regional airports and was oblivious to the capacity availability at IWAK and Shannon,” she commented.

Ms Chambers said she was ‘utterly dismayed’ to hear that Mr Jacobs turned away airlines, and up to 650,000 passengers this year, due to the passenger cap numbers at Dublin Airport.

“I would ask that he explain what measures he took to encourage those Knock, Shannon or Cork’s way. Did he contact the CEOs of those airports? Try to set up meetings?

“He talks of his concern about the impact of this on Irish industry and tourism, but there would be no impact whatsoever if the passengers were secured for the regional airports. 

“650,000 passengers would be lost on Dublin, but potentially transformational for the regions,” she continued.

The former TD and county councillor furthermore shared her surprise to hear that the DAA had removed incentives to attract airlines. She called on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to pick up on this ‘if he is serious about balanced regional development’.

“I think it is time the Minister for Transport carried out a survey to see where passengers are travelling to, and if they are going anywhere 100 kilometres beyond Dublin then surely there is an argument for more routes to our regional airports and government support to deliver this,” she said.

She continued: “The Minister for Transport shouldn’t allow Dublin Airport to do whatever it likes to the detriment of regional airports. There are questions Minister Ryan should be asking of the DAA. If there are airlines looking to establish new routes into Ireland, they should be directed to our regional airports.”

Senator Chambers referenced figures that show Dublin Airport typically wins 95 percent of airport passenger growth into Ireland.

“So if you get one million new passengers in Ireland in a year, 950,000 goes to Dublin and the other 50,000 is fought out between IWAK, Shannon and Cork,” explained Senator Chambers.

Additionally, the Mayo Senator said Mr Jacob’s interview ‘smacked of the arrogance of a monopoly’.

“Mr Jacobs said that Dublin is the gateway to Ireland; it is for the east, but not for the west. We have tour operators based in Dublin offering tourists day trips to the Cliffs of Moher and other attractions along the west coast. 

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for tourists to fly into IWAK or Shannon if the West of Ireland is their chosen destination?” she questioned him.

Senator Chambers agreed with Mr Jacob’s in regards to the need for faster planning and ‘more joined up thinking around infrastructure’, but said to firstly ‘use what we have’ before spending ‘unnecessarily’ on new infrastructure.

“Huge capacity exists in the regional airports, so let’s use that rather than waste more money on Dublin, not least when the potential is so huge from this to drive economic development in the regions and finally deliver balanced regional development,” concluded Ms Chambers.