Big increase in winter flights at Dublin Airport expected after cap suspended
The number of seats that will be available on flights in and out of the capital will rise to just under 17.9 million for the season, a 23pc increase on last winter.
Last winter, just under 14.4 million seats were set to be made available by carriers as the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) decided to limit numbers to ensure Dublin Airport adhered to its annual 32 million passenger cap.
While the number available next winter is expected to shoot back up to 17.9 million, that is still below the near 18.4 million that were being made available for winter 2023-2024.
Aer Lingus intends to have more than 4.7 million seats available this winter. That's 560,000 more than last winter. Ryanair will have 7.54 million, compared with the 6.25 million it had last season.
Other international operators, from Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad to US airlines including United, Delta and American, will have hundreds of thousands of extra seats available between them.
Dublin Airport's passenger cap is due to a planning condition attached in 2007 to the construction of Terminal 2.
However, this year Dublin Airport will handle about 36.3 million passengers, following decisions by the High Court that effectively paused the cap while certain matters related to aircraft take-off and landing slot allocations are being examined by the European Court of Justice. It is not likely to deliver a ruling on those matters until summer next year.
Dublin Airport's slots are managed by UK-based firm Airport Coordination.
Its initial co-ordination report for the coming winter period, which covers October 26 to March 28 next year, shows the dramatic increase in the planned seat availability now that the IAA cannot, for the time being at least, limit the number at Dublin Airport.
The report shows there was demand for 103,020 take-off and landing slots for the season, with 102,754 allocated.
New slots for the period were requested by a slew of airlines, from Aer Lingus and Ryanair, to Hainan Airlines, Emirates and Etihad.
Ryanair remains by far the biggest operator at Dublin Airport for the season, with 39pc of allocated slots for the winter. Aer Lingus has 23pc. Emerald Airlines, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, has just under 13pc.
The largest non-Irish long-haul carrier out of Dublin is United Airlines, with 1,080 slots for the winter, followed by Emirates and Qatar Airways.
The report from Airport Coordination notes that some new destinations which intended to be operated next winter include routes to Albania's capital, Tirana, as well as to Rabat in Morocco and a direct service to Derry.
The Government has pledged to have the cap removed. While Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien has suggested legislation will be brought forward in the autumn to address the cap, it could take some time before it is removed.
Dublin Airport is set for its busiest ever summer, with passenger numbers expected to surpass 10 million for the season. It expects to have a number of days where passenger numbers will significantly exceed 100,000.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Drogheda United's owners can't blame FAI or anyone else for European mess, the responsibility was Trivela's
THE TIMES reported on Tuesday that Liverpool are looking to buy LaLiga outfit Getafe. Manchester City are top of the City Football Group, Chelsea and Strasbourg have the same parent company and then there is Red Bull. 2 Kevin Doherty guided Drogheda United to an unlikely FAI Cup triumph last season 2 Board member Conor Hoey spoke to SunSport this week about the club's dilemma The energy drink group also has a minority stake in Leeds United. And the individual who chairs their largest shareholder is also part of Glasgow Rangers' ownership. Then you have Manchester United minority owner There are reports that Newcastle United's owners will buy it if he sells. There are also owner links between Crystal Palace and Lyon, Brighton and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, Aston Villa and Vitoria Guimaraes plus PSG and SC Braga. Read More On Irish Football And of course, Last season, Manchester City and Girona, and Manchester United and Nice, were all passed to play in Europe after doing the legal bits necessary to satisfy Uefa. And this year, Nottingham Forest were put in a blind trust by Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis for that same reason before Forest fell short on the pitch. But they did write to Uefa Most read in Football So the worms have long since crawled out of the can when it comes to multi-club ownership and that is not going to change. Just as members made way for rich benefactors, who were replaced by richer benefactors, oligarchs, investment vehicles and wealth funds, football finds a way to find more money. Watch Messi score stunning free-kick as Inter Miami stun Porto 2-1m We can question the pros and cons of them all, but the only truly bad owners are the chancers who leave a club high and dry when the funds run out. When the owners fund the good days, little else matters as James Montague's book 'Engulfed' highlighted in chapters talking to many Newcastle United fans. And it is why Drogheda United members voted 90-1 for their sale to Walsall's owners Trivela in 2023. And while the story of the Drogs since then will centre around Kevin Doherty's management and their players, it was made possible because of Trivela. The Drogs' FAI Cup victory as a part-time club was a fairytale last year. But it was only possible due to Trivela's largesse. Accounts on the club's website show Drogheda made a net loss of €792,848 last season, and total liabilities exceed total assets by €1,042,185. It is why board member Conor Hoey — who led the search for the investment that saw Trivela take over — is sure their expulsion from Europe under multi-club rules is just a blip. He told me this week: 'This changes nothing. Trivela are still the right owner. We won the Cup because of their investment in our players and management. 'Of course we're hugely disappointed, particularly for the players and supporters, but Uefa won't break us.' LOOK INWARDS The club can argue Uefa gave them a raw deal, and cite previous examples where they say clubs were given more time. And one of the three arbitrators at the Court of Arbitration in Sport agreed with the grounds of their appeal. They can also question the FAI on why they did not forward on the relevant rule changes regarding multi-club ownership to Drogheda. Everyone in the league can wonder why no club had their arm twisted to apply for a European licence in case Drogs were expelled. But just as clubs bear responsibility for fielding ineligible players after the FAI compounded clubs' registration mistakes, clubs should not rely on others to hold their hand. And Trivela's first statement on the Drogs in 2023 promised 'to increase investment in the club's front-office operations' before it mentioned football or fans. Club chairperson Ben Boycott said this week when he did list grievances, 'accountability falls on us at DUFC and at Trivela Group'. The problem is not that there was no leeway for Drogheda, but that it was hoped there would be leeway when the issue was spotted. Because while multi-club models are probably here to stay, it is up to clubs to navigate it. After all, Silkeborg's qualification for Europe should not have been a surprise given they had done so twice in the previous three years.
Irish Independent
39 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
IFA raises alarm over CAP as Germany pushes back on bigger EU budget
European People's Party calls for bigger budget to meet new priorities Irish farmers could be caught in the crossfire of a major budget row in Europe, as Germany resists calls for more EU spending while changes to CAP funding threaten to reshape rural incomes. The European Union's next long-term budget must be bigger than the current one, the main political group in the European Parliament said, putting itself on a collision course with the biggest contributor Germany, which does not want any increase.
Irish Examiner
41 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Adaptability is key to success in rapidly evolving regtech space
Irish firms are not only keeping pace with international compliance trends, they're also helping define them, with companies such as Fenergo, Corlytics, AQMetrics, Daon and Know Your Customer having established world-leading positions in the demanding regtech space. According to Brian Fahey of MyComplianceOffice (MCO), the foundation of this success can be traced back to the establishment of the International Financial Services Centre and the introduction of a 10 per cent corporate tax rate at the time. This was the nascence of an ecosystem that nurtured professionals to advance into senior roles and in some cases gain international experience. Brian Fahey of MyComplianceOffice (MCO). 'Many have since returned, bringing valuable expertise with them,' says Fahey. This international perspective is important. 'Ireland's relatively small domestic market necessitates looking outward for business opportunities, driving the development of global solutions. In contrast, regtech firms from larger economies – such as the United States – often focus solely on domestic regulatory solutions,' he adds. Ongoing investment by Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland has supported the sector to flourish with a global outlook. While the Republic is home to many foreign direct investment companies in highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals and food production, none of these sectors have fostered a regtech ecosystem on a par with financial services. 'The sheer number of financial firms operating in Ireland probably continues to shape and sustain Ireland's thriving ecosystem for regtech,' says Fahey. 'Globally, regtech solutions for banking and investment span numerous specialised segments, each addressing specific regulatory and enforcement challenges that have evolved over time. Each segment has its own set of competitors worldwide, and several Irish regtech firms are demonstrating leadership and innovation in these areas.' Fahey points to Corlytics as a pioneer in horizon scanning, leveraging artificial intelligence well before the advent of large language models. 'There are many other firms striving to be 'best of breed' solutions, which Irish firms often have to be as they are competing globally,' he says. His own firm, MCO, is the largest Irish-owned regtech firm in Ireland, carving its niche with a single, enterprise-wide integrated platform for banking and investment firms. 'Traditionally, these firms have relied on multiple vendors for compliance solutions, but MCO consolidates these capabilities at scale. There is not another firm like us with the breadth of compliance offerings on an integrated platform,' says Fahey. Ian Nelson, partner, head of financial services and regulatory, KPMG Ireland, agrees with Fahey's take that the success of Ireland's regtech sector directly parallels the development of the financial services sector, and it's becoming a symbiotic relationship. Ian Nelson, partner, head of financial services and regulatory, KPMG Ireland. 'Those entities that are able to use regtech solutions to allow for a less time-intensive, less manual and, by extension, better regulatory outcomes, coupled with better customer experience, will be at the forefront of the winners in the sector,' he says. Nelson says that by their nature, a number of regulatory solutions are very quickly scalable from a localised to an international environment, and Irish regtech firms have become very quick to evolve in that context. 'For example, regtech firms that offer solutions in relation to anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, that have been tailored for an Irish regulatory regime, can be quickly scaled to an international set of requirements where the technology is in place, and it is about a simple evolution of the rules within the technology.' Julie Kennedy, partner, financial services risk and regulation, PwC Ireland, says the financial services sector has undergone a profound digital transformation, reshaping the way products and services are delivered to customers. 'This shift has necessitated the revamping of both customer-facing platforms and back-office infrastructure,' she says. Julie Kennedy, partner, financial services risk and regulation, PwC Ireland. 'The regtech industry is emerging as a powerhouse, bolstering firms in navigating a complex regulatory landscape with innovative solutions that not only streamline compliance but also enhance customer service and afford companies a strategic edge.' Looking at Ireland as an incubator for regtech innovation, she sees impressive innovation in niches including AML and counter-terrorism financing. 'Statistics reveal a surge in regtech start-ups in Ireland, with many gaining unicorn status,' says Kennedy. In the face of increasing global regulatory complexity, adaptability and innovation are the keys to success. 'Irish regtech firms are adeptly navigating the tangled web of global regulatory requirements by crafting systems that are both scalable and adaptable,' says Kennedy. 'Amidst rising competition and evolving legislation, Irish firms are setting benchmarks with agile technologies that cater to both European and international demands. Industry leaders highlight the strategic importance of this adaptability, pointing to Ireland's prime position at the nexus of European finance.'
