Donegal Cancer Flights and Services, which is based at Ionad Naomh Pádraig in Gaoth Dobhair, west Donegal, said it wouldn’t let up in its campaign until it was 100pc sure the flights were secure.
Dublin Airport’s annual passenger traffic is capped at 32 million under a planning condition attached in 2007 to the construction of Terminal 2.
There were fears that the cap on passenger numbers could bring an end to the service, which operates by providing subsidised flights on the Carrickfinn to Dublin route run by Emerald Airlines.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Transport told the Irish Independent that it was aware of concerns raised in relation to slot reductions at Dublin Airport, the impact this may have on existing air services and potentially on the Public Service Obligation (PSO) daily air services between Donegal and Dublin.
The department spokesperson confirmed that junior transport minister James Lawless met Emerald Airlines executive chairman Conor McCarthy last Thursday and discussed the issue, with both recognising the importance of the route.
“There is a provision in the EU Slot Regulation which provides that slots may be reserved by member states for the operation of PSO air services,” the spokesperson said.
“The department is currently engaging with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), which is responsible for slot allocation at Dublin Airport, on this matter.”
While Donegal Cancer Flights and Services co-ordinator Mary Coyle said the development was positive, she said the 430 people currently using their services needed greater assurance that this would be copper-fastened.
“We understand there’s a process, but we would like to see this done. On our side, we are dealing with real people and real lives. We just need to keep the pressure up until it’s done,” Ms Coyle said.
“We would have people from Ardara to Buncrana in Inishowen. It’s not a funded charity and we fundraise for everything. We co-ordinate the flights for patients travelling to Dublin and if they are in active treatment, we arrange for them to be picked up and taken to hospital,” she said.
They also provide transport to other hospitals and cancer treatment centres for people travelling from Donegal to Galway, Roscommon, Sligo and Manorhamilton in Leitrim and provide counselling services.
According to Ms Coyle, flights to the capital are vital because otherwise the journey can take up to five hours by bus and, she said their service was a lifeline for people during the most difficult time in their lives.
She added that taking the PSO service out of the cap would mean cancer patients in the country’s most peripheral county could breathe a sigh of relief.
“We’d like to see a statement that this is done, that it’s out of the cap. That’s the only bit we’re missing,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Airlines for America – a lobby group that represents major US carriers – have taken High Court actions to challenge those IAA decisions. The cases are due to be heard in December.
The passenger cap is now “a joke” among international airlines, according to former Aer Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh.
Speaking last week, Mr Walsh echoed warnings from the DAA and Ryanair that air fares out of Dublin will increase while the cap remains in place.
