Apoca confirms it has secured contract to operate the site, with 6,000-plus spaces
The newly reopened site will provide 42 acres of parking just 1.5km from Dublin Airport
A huge carpark beside Dublin Airport will reopen in time for next summer after the owner, developer Gerry Gannon, gave a contract to Apcoa to manage the facility, it has been confirmed,
The carpark, which can accommodate more than 6,000 cars, will open on March 10.
The DAA, which operates Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, had originally intended to buy the former QuickPark carpark from Mr Gannon for about €70m.
The carpark was the biggest carpark serving Dublin Airport before it closed in 2020. Mr Gannon put the carpark up for sale in 2022.
Carparking facilities at Dublin Airport have been operating at or near capacity during the peak summer season, with passengers being advised to take public transport where possible, or to secure taxis and lifts from friends and relatives. The DAA operates 23,000 carpark spaces in and around Dublin Airport.
The planned sale of the site by Mr Gannon followed a 2021 court ruling that determined he was entitled to a near €2.2m judgment against a company controlled by transport entrepreneur John O’Sullivan that had operated a long-term car park on the land.
In order to buy the carpark, the DAA would likely have had to provide an appropriate remedy that would involve a sale by it of carparking spaces in the vicinity of Dublin Airport.
Of the 22,951 spaces the DAA has in and around Dublin Airport, 3,932 are located in short-term car parks, and 19,019 are located in long-term car parks. It owns and operates three public short-term car parks and four public long-term car parks at Dublin Airport.
Earlier this year, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) blocked the planned purchase of the carpark by the DAA.
The watchdog claimed that it had concerns that the sale to the airport operator would lead to higher prices and lower service quality for consumers.
Niall Cunningham, the managing director of Apcoa Ireland, said that the reopened carpark will increase the supply of spaces to meet growing demand at Dublin Airport.
The site owned by Mr Gannon was secured by mortgage to Nama against his debt obligations that were acquired by Nama following the financial crash.
However, Mr Gannon’s loans with Nama are now being bought by US-based businessman Maurice Regan. He is paying more than €250m to buy the loans from Nama, which were originally with AIB, Bank of Ireland and Anglo Irish Bank before the financial crisis.
Mr Regan and Mr Gannon are set to jointly develop some assets.
