Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 133: To ask the Minister for Transport the extent to which airport charges at the various airports here compare with charges at other airports throughout Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39875/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) regulates airport charges levied at Dublin Airport. Charges at Cork and Shannon are set by the airport authority. Passenger charges levied at the six regional airports, which are owned and operated independently, are a matter for each airport concerned.

In relation to comparative charges at other European Airports, I have been informed by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) that independent research indicates that charges at Dublin are towards the lower end of a broad comparison group of the top airports in Europe. In this context, I understand that data extracted from the independently produced Jacobs 'Review of Airport Charges 2008' Report, ranking charges from most to least expensive, showed that Dublin airport's charges ranked 29th of 50 in its European airport survey. I also understand from the DAA that charges at Cork and Shannon also compare favourably with European benchmarks.