Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of slots airlines have requested at Dublin Airport for summer 2025; the percentage of these slots have been allocated; the additional seats and passengers that will use Dublin Airport in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24746/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Section 8(1) of the Aviation Regulation Act 2001, as amended, provides that the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the competent authority in Ireland for the purposes of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 95/93 that concerns the allocation of slots at airports in the EU. The IAA is responsible for the determination of the coordination parameters at Dublin Airport, and the appointment of an independent slots coordinator.  

Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) is currently the appointed slots coordinator at Dublin Airport, and manages the process of slot allocation.  The setting of coordination parameters and the allocation of slots is done twice yearly based on the IATA summer and winter scheduling seasons - the summer season runs from 30 March to 26 October 2025.

I am advised by the IAA that for the summer 2025 season, airlines have requested 160,919 slots at Dublin Airport.  Owing to the dynamic environment around the operation of airport slots, it is presumed that over the season some of these slots will be cancelled by airlines and further requests for slots will be made. Non-scheduled flights will also be required to be allocated slots throughout the summer season, as the need arises. 

Of the 160,919 slots requested, 97.1% of these were allocated as requested with the remainder being offered and accepted with an alternative time than that requested.  The total slots allocated for the season was 160,872.

The passenger seats available for the summer 2025 season on the basis of the slots allocated to airlines is approx. 28.8m, which is 5.2% higher than was available on the basis of slots allocated for the summer 2024 season.

While slots for the upcoming winter season are yet to be allocated, ACL has commenced the slot allocation process.

daa has advised me that it anticipates approximately 1.65 million additional seats will be available at Dublin airport over the entirety of 2025, when compared to the full year 2024.

As the Deputy will be aware, the High Court has imposed a partial stay on the Irish Aviation Authority's decision to limit the slot capacity, through a passenger seat cap, at Dublin Airport, pending the outcome of that Court's referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union. This means that there are no effective capacity constraints at Dublin Airport for the summer 2025 season and likely for 2026 too.

There are no capacity restrictions at Ireland's other State Airports, Cork and Shannon. Cork Airport's passenger numbers increased by 10% in 2024, and Shannon's by 7%.