Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 216: To ask the Minister for Transport the way the various charges applicable at the various airports throughout the country compare with each other and in comparison with neighbouring and EU jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42978/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As I have previously informed the Deputy, the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) regulates airport charges levied at Dublin Airport. Airport charges at Cork and Shannon Airports are set by the relevant airport authority while charges 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 airports in Europe, I understand that a number of relevant benchmarking studies have been conducted or referenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR). The most recent report, conducted by Indecon-Jacobs during the 2009 regulatory determination process, demonstrated that the operating costs per passenger at Dublin Airport were the second lowest of the sample of comparator airports in Europe in 2008.

Other reports have consistently demonstrated that charges at Dublin Airport are amongst the lowest of comparable airports in Europe. For example in 2008 Airports Council International, the representative body for Airports worldwide, identified Dublin as having the lowest airport charges among the top 20 airports in Europe and preliminary results for the 2009 survey show a similar position. Finally, the annual Airport Charges Monitor, published by the air transport consultancy RDC Aviation, which measures the top 50 airports in Europe, consistently shows that Dublin Airport is well below average with respect to airport charges. In the 2009 survey, Dublin is ranked 39th cheapest in terms of the level of airport charges for common short-haul aircraft operations. I understand from the DAA that charges at Cork and Shannon also compare favourably with European benchmarks.