James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy should be aware, as should all of the House, increasing capacity at Dublin Airport is in line with the national aviation policy and it is something that I and the Government want to see happen, notwithstanding the planning framework within which we all must operate. We recognises the strategic importance of Dublin Airport to meeting national social and economic policy goals. That aviation policy includes an objective to develop Dublin Airport as a secondary hub airport. To reiterate, the constraints on Dublin Airport are imposed by planning conditions and not by any decision of Government or any policy approach.

While I recognise the importance of the airport to Ireland’s island economy, it is important to ensure the sustainable development of Dublin Airport, to balance the objectives of the national aviation policy, the needs of business and tourism interests and the legitimate rights of local residents, some of whom I am meeting later today who are concerned about noise levels, etc., and to grapple with the issue of night flights which had been recently complicated by an An Bord Pleanála draft decision. There are many moving parts to this tapestry which can be difficult to align.

On regional flights within Ireland, I would like to confirm to the Deputy because his question focuses on the regional flights impact and it is a concern I share, that there are currently two domestic scheduled passenger services operating to and from Dublin Airport. One is an Exchequer funded-public service obligation, PSO, air service operating between Donegal and Dublin airports. The other air service operates between Kerry and Dublin airports on a commercial basis. That service previously operated as a PSO service until July 2021.

On the Donegal to Dublin PSO, this is funded by Government under my Department’s regional airports programme. This programme provides support to Ireland’s smallest airports being those that provide scheduled passenger services and handle fewer than one million annual passengers. The current PSO contract commenced on 26 February 2022 and is for a four-year period. It provides for a twice daily two-way air services with same day return trips from Donegal. It also provides for further onward international connectivity via Dublin Airport.

I am aware of concerns on the anticipated impact on those slots and flights by the cap at Dublin Airport but I reassure the Deputy that there is a provision in the EU slot regulation directive, which provides that slots may be reserved by member states for the operation of PSO services. In short, that means that the PSO services are capable of being ring-fenced external to the cap. That is good news to the Deputies and to the airlines. I am meeting representatives of one of the airlines affected that operates the Donegal service later today and I hope that will be welcomed by all concerned. It is something that I was keen to address in dealing with this issue.

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