FCM Travel, the corporate travel division of Flight Centre Travel Group, has raised its concerns over the potential impact of the passenger cap not being raised at Dublin Airport.
It has warned of potential major disruptions to business travel between Ireland and the UK – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Dublin Airport cap was set at 32 million per year in 2007 and has not been changed since.
FCM Travel manages travel for both large multinational corporations and SMEs in the Irish market and supports more than 68 companies here. One of the busiest business routes for FCM in Europe is Dublin to London.
Today it highlighted the growing threat to Irish businesses, especially those reliant on frequent and last-minute travel to the UK as it called for the passenger cap to be raised for the good of all passengers.
“Last month, ticket prices sold by FCM from Dublin to London were, on average, up nearly 24% compared to the same period last year. As capacity continues to shrink, we expect these prices could rise even further,” warned Andy Hegley, Europe Managing Director at FCM Travel.
He said that travel is a necessity and not a discretionary spend for corporates.
“It’s a key part of growth strategy for modern businesses looking to find new customers and ideas, to survive and thrive, but without lifting the current passenger cap, small businesses will feel the impacts the most,” he stated.
FCM Travel’s concerns echo those from Dublin Airport operator daa, which warned that the current passenger cap could cost the Irish economy €500m.
“This issue goes beyond tourism – it’s a matter of maintaining Ireland’s position as a business hub and ensuring Irish companies can continue to grow and capitalise on opportunities abroad in the most cost-effective way,” Mr Hegley said.
“We’ve seen the Dublin to London route rebound to pre-pandemic levels with bookings increasing by 8% year on year (April to September). Over one third of Irish exports go to the UK and it’s an especially important market for small businesses who are looking to expand,” Mr Hegley said.
“We could see reduced flight availability, particularly at peak times, making it more difficult for our clients to book last-minute or convenient flights. Business customers, who often book trips one to two weeks out, are likely to face much higher fares as peak airline pricing hits during these windows,” he said.
“Longer travel times due to fewer direct flight options and increased congestion at the airport could also cause significant delays for time-sensitive business trips,” he added.
