Ryanair has said it has reached an agreement with Leinster Rugby to use Belfast International Airport for away match flights over a row linked to additional winter slots at Dublin Airport.
The budget carrier has claimed the extra slots at Dublin Airport normally allocated for the winter flights by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), have not been signed off this year.
As a result, Ryanair said Leinster’s rugby squad will instead use Belfast International Airport for their away matches in Bristol, Cardiff and La Rochelle this winter.
The carrier said Christmas flights to Lapland could also be moved to Belfast International.
Last month Ryanair announced it had added an extra 50,000 winter seats on flights between Belfast International Airport and London Stansted due to capacity issues at Dublin Airport.
The airport has already reached its annual cap of 32 million passengers, meaning airlines will face restrictions on the number of additional flights they can introduce for the high demand festive season.
The cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport was put in place during 2007 as a condition of the planning approval for Terminal 2.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary claims the second runway opened at Dublin in 2022 means the airport can accommodate up to 60 million passengers each year.
He has called on Eamon Ryan and Irish Tourism Minister Catherine Martin to intervene and issue a direction letter to the IAA to authorise the extra slots at Dublin Airport.
“Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin can and should now issue a Direction Letter to the IAA telling them to allow these extra slots, so that Leinster Rugby can travel to their away matches from Dublin Airport,” he said.
“This is also necessary to allow Irish families to travel to Lapland from Dublin not Belfast this Christmas.
“Irish aviation and tourism is the laughingstock of Europe, where two green ministers sit on their hands doing nothing while a 17-year-old concern about road traffic blocks growth of Irish air traffic, tourism and jobs.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said Minister of State James Lawless had spoken with Leinster Rugby over the weekend.
“He is seeking advice as to what avenues may exist to facilitate national teams and similar special events while the legacy planning cap on passenger numbers at the airport remains in place.
“However, neither Minister can intervene in an independent planning process.
“To intervene would be to contravene the independence of our planning process and legislation, which would have significant knock-on effects on Ireland’s regulatory reputation.
“At a recent meeting with the CEO of Ryanair, Minister of State Lawless advised Mr O’Leary that he did not think Ryanair’s proposal that issuing a ministerial direction to the IAA to ignore the passenger cap of 32 million when exercising its function in determining slot allocations at Dublin Airport would be legally possible or appropriate.
“While the legislation allows for ministerial directions of a general policy nature to be made, the Ryanair proposal is to issue a specific operational direction.
“The minister committed to examining Ryanair’s proposal, which will be considered, along with all other suggestions in the course of these consultations.”
The Department of Transport said other airports in the Republic, including Shannon and Cork, have no capacity constraints.
“There is no impediment to any charter flight operator from using one of our other state airport as an alternative to Dublin Airport until planning permission may be granted for the lifting of the passenger cap.”
