Dublin: Ryanair CEO warns that air fares will rise in winter due to restrictions on passengers. Hundreds of thousands of people use Dublin airport for Christmas, Cheltenham Festival, Premier League, Champions League etc. Even in this situation, more than one million seats cannot be provided. Ryanair says flying to and from Dublin will become more expensive in this context.
The CEO demanded immediate action from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and the government to remove restrictions on passengers. Other airlines will also be forced to increase fares.
14.4 million passengers in winter
The Irish Aviation Authority put the number of passengers at the airport in winter at 14.4 million. This is the first time in its history that Dublin Airport handles 32 million passengers a year. Last year, more than 31.9 million passengers used the two terminals.
DAA had applied for planning permission for the infrastructure development project targeting 40 million passengers per year, but later it was decided to reduce it to 35-36 million.
Even during a normal Christmas period, 300,000 extra seats would be available on the Dublin-London route, but that will not be possible this year, says Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson. He says one-way fares on the route could reach as high as €500.
The airline’s plan was to increase passenger numbers by 9% in the winter by adding three flights and 15 routes. The company had targeted 7.5 million passengers. Currently, it only has slots for 6.4 million passengers.
AD Wilson blamed the current problem on the failure of the airport authorities to apply for permission earlier. He also stated that he does not want to fight against this. He also shared the concern that this problem will worsen in the coming years.
The airline previously announced it was moving three aircraft, 16 new routes, and 200 staff from Dublin Airport to Southern Italy in the summer.
DAA says
DAAC CEO Kenny Jacobs said that he is in full agreement with increasing the capacity of Dublin Airport. This can be done soon. He said that the complaints against DAA are baseless.
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