Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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97. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the due diligence his Department has completed in assessing the greenhouse gas emissions impacts resulting from State intervention to lift the Dublin airport passenger cap, in the context of both climate obligations and related human rights obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53579/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government includes a clear commitment to work with stakeholders to achieve the objective of lifting the passenger cap at Dublin airport as soon as possible. On the 30th of September, I secured Cabinet approval to progress primary legislation to make this happen.

We have seen the success of aviation in growing our economic, political, and cultural connections. However, as acknowledged in Ireland’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy Roadmap which was published in August, to continue to benefit from such connectivity, it is clear that industry and government must act together if we are to meet our ambitious climate goals.

The Roadmap, also a Programme for Government commitment, estimates the demand for conventional jet fuel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) up to 2035, based on the EUROCONTROL base forecasts of Irish aviation activity. It recognises the important contribution that SAFs can make toward decarbonising the aviation industry and it aims to provide the building blocks for the deployment of SAF in Ireland.

Of course, the necessity of decarbonising aviation transcends national borders. The global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry is based on the ICAO ‘basket of measures’ which identifies four pillars from which reductions are to be realised. These are aircraft technology improvements, operational improvements, the use of SAFs, and a global market-based measure known as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Of these measures, it is widely acknowledged that deployment of SAFs will play the greatest role in decarbonising the aviation sector in the short to medium term.

At European level, Ireland continues to support the EU’s “Fit for 55 Package” which aims to facilitate a minimum net 55% EU greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2030. Furthermore, there are a number of EU regulations and directives in place that are aimed at reducing aviation emissions. This includes the EU emissions trading system, and the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation which places an obligation on aviation fuel suppliers to supply an increasing share of aviation fuel blended with SAF at European Union airports and requires airlines to increase their uptake of SAF in pre-defined incremental steps.

I and my officials regularly engage with the key stakeholders across the aviation sector in relation to efforts to reduce emissions and decarbonise the aviation industry, and my Department remains committed to the continued development of policy in this area both at EU and international level.