Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

These are not competing projects. They can run in parallel and they have a very different timeline. The aim is that the runway would be completed by 2021 but we have to think more long term given the capacity problems that afflict Dublin Airport in particular. As Deputy Troy is aware, at the moment Dublin Airport has approximately 30 million passengers going through it annually. What is anticipated in the report, to which the Deputy refers, is that passenger numbers could increase to between 50 million and 60 million by 2050. The runway is a very short-term project compared with what we have to consider in the long term.

In general, airport infrastructure must be considered in the long term. The Government realises that the run-in for such projects takes a long time and, as promised and as we are obliged to do, we commissioned a report that came up with some startling figures. An independent third terminal is one option that has been considered. My Department and others will be involved in talks and consultations with stakeholders about the prospects for a third terminal and the need for it.

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