Minister tells tourists flying to Dublin to consider using other airports

Tourists visiting Dublin should consider using other airports, Ireland’s international transport minister has said.

James Lawless made the remarks amid a long-running dispute over a passenger cap at Dublin Airport.

Mr Lawless, who is minister of state for international transport, met Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary on Wednesday as part of a series of engagements with key stakeholders on the passenger cap.

Ireland’s busiest airport is only allowed to fly through a maximum of 32 million passengers a year based on planning conditions from 15 years ago.

Airlines have called for the cap to be lifted to meet demand and senior ministers have said the limit is a risk to economic growth, while others have questioned the impact of removing the restriction as Ireland aims to reduce its carbon emissions.

The limit was originally brought in during planning permission for the airport’s second terminal in 2007, over concerns about traffic around the airport.

Ryanair has raised concerns that requests for additional flight slots will be rejected by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

The operator of Dublin Airport, DAA, has itself warned that it is on course to breach the cap this year – with passenger numbers expected to be closer to 33 million. It has asked planning authorities to lift the cap.

Afterward the meeting, the junior minister at the Department of Transport told reporters that it was his “preferred outcome” that planning authorities imminently lift the cap to 40 million, but added that efforts to mitigate the effects of the limit had to be taken in the interim.

He said an “obvious solution” was to increase the use of Shannon Airport and Cork Airport, which are not subjected to caps.

The minister of state said airlines should explore increasing connections to the regional airports, adding that there may be an infrastructure risk in Ireland’s reliance on Dublin Airport.

He said: “There’s nobody in a better place than Ryanair and with a better proven record at marketing outlying airports as a destination.

“I’ve gone to Paris (Beauvais) with Ryanair, Venice (Treviso) with Ryanair – why can’t I fly to Dublin (Shannon) with…