There is a currently a 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport each year which is imposed by conditions attached to the planning permission granted for Terminal 2 almost 20 years ago.
DAA said that it has made every effort to “dampen airline demand” at Dublin Airport, adding that passenger numbers at the airport would have been higher without these actions.
Newly released figures from DAA found that 3.08 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport last month, up 4pc from September 2023.
This was the busiest September in the airport’s history, DAA confirmed.
The busiest day of the month was Sunday September 1 when 119,570 passengers travelled through the airport’s two terminals.
This brings the total number of passengers in the year to date to around 25.8 million.
DAA pointed to a “more subdued” autumn at the airport as a number of airlines have opted to reduce their operations as a result of the passenger cap.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) announced in May that it is imposing a cap of 14.4 million seats at Dublin Airport for the winter season, which runs from late October to March.
This is the first time such a cap has been imposed by the IAA.
This will also cut the number of seats.
However, despite these reductions, DAA still anticipates that the cap will be exceeded this year.
“The coming months will see the passenger cap starting to bite more firmly as airlines finalise their summer 2025 schedules with fewer slots available and reduced capacity, despite overwhelming demand from passengers to fly in and out of Dublin Airport,” DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs said.
“Meanwhile airports across Europe are working hard to get and keep the flights Dublin is losing. And DAA is obliged to continue to do its utmost to comply with the cap, despite not controlling the slot process,” he added.
Mr Jacobs said the DAA is working on its application to increase the cap to 40 million, with the authority currently gathering more information following requests from Fingal County Council.
It intends to submit the response for information on a range of topics before November 15.
Minister tells tourists visiting Dublin to consider Shannon Airport
“However, the complexities and additional considerations prompted by the recent draft decision by An Bord Pleanála on night time flights and hours of operation at Dublin Airport complicate this,” Mr Jacobs said.
Cork Airport, which is also operated by the DAA, welcomed 295,000 passengers last month. This was a record high for the airport and up 14pc compared to a year earlier.
“We’re an island nation with a fast-growing population, so Government policies and a nimble planning system that allows all our airports to grow is vital, be that Dublin or Donegal, Cork or Shannon,” Mr Kenny concluded.
