Ryanair is seeking an injunction in the High Court and the European Courts to stop the aviation regulator cutting flights at Dublin Airport next summer.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), yesterday evening, confirmed its intention to limit airline seat capacity out of Dublin Airport to 25.2 million next summer, in a bid to keep the airport within its annual 32 million passenger cap.
The cut in summer seat capacity will result in roughly 1 million fewer seats being available next summer than in normal years.
Calling the IAA ruling “unlawful”, Ryanair’s group CEO Michael O’Leary said: “The Dublin Airport cap is in breach of the EU right to freedom of movement, and is also in breach of the EU/US Open Skies Agreement. We have no doubt that this absurd 17 year old restriction – which was solely deigned to allay road traffic “concerns” which no longer exist – will be thrown out by the European Courts.
“However, if the Transport Minister had any back bone, he would issue a Direction letter to the IAA instructing them under Section 10 of the Aviation Act to approve additional Dublin Airport slot requests from all airlines. The fact that neither he, nor his colleague Tourism Minister Catherine Martin, are willing to act by simply signing a letter and sending it to the IAA, is yet another indictment of the performance of the Green Party in Government. The Greens have a Transport Minister and a Tourism Minister who have now presided over the opening of a second runway, but now want Irish connectivity and tourism to suffer a 1 million traffic cut in Summer 2025 because they are unwilling to take action.”
Mr O’Leary also called on both the Tourism and Transport Ministers to resign.
“Given Eamon Ryan’s failure to implement his own aviation policy, which is to deliver growth in traffic, connectivity, and jobs, he should now resign, as should Catherine Martin who has abjectly failed in her role as Tourism Minister.
“Ryanair has instructed its lawyers to immediately seek an injunction in the Irish High Court and the European Courts to stop this absurd self harm inflicted on Irish aviation and Irish tourism by 2 incompetent Green Ministers, who we hope will soon be thrown out of office.”
