Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has assessed whether travel arrangements to major sporting events can be protected within the context of a cap on Dublin Airport flights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45434/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, it is a longstanding objective in Ireland’s National Aviation Policy to develop Dublin Airport as a secondary hub airport with the necessary capacity to connect key existing and emerging global markets.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has the responsibility for allocating slots to airlines at Dublin Airport under EU law. In taking into account the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, the IAA set a passenger seat limit at the airport for the Winter 2024 season and for the Summer 2025 season.

I am aware that on Monday, November 4th, the High Court granted a partial stay on the IAA’s Summer 2025 slot decision, pending the full judicial review proceedings. While this means that passenger seat capacity will not be reduced at Dublin Airport for the Summer 2025 season, the availability of slots for ad hoc flights, including charter flights for events such as sports, will still be limited at Dublin Airport over the Winter period.

In light of the current constraints at Dublin I have just concluded an extensive round of negotiations with key stakeholders as part of a process to understand the concerns of all involved .My objective is to ensure that connectivity to and from Ireland can continue to grow and that the impact of the constraints at Dublin Airport can be mitigated where possible. It is important to note that there are no capacity constraints at Ireland’s other State Airports, Shannon, and Cork and those organising charter flights are encouraged to explore these options as an alternative to Dublin Airport while capacity at Dublin is constrained for the Winter 2024 season.