Ryanair has praised the Irish High Court’s decision to refer the legality of Dublin Airport’s traffic cap to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), a move that could pave the way for the airline to add significant growth capacity. The carrier currently operates 33 Boeing 737-800s out of Dublin.
Ryanair stated “Today’s welcome referral to Europe will now allow Ryanair to add some growth capacity at Dublin for Summer 2025, where Ryanair hopes to respond to the DAA’s new environmental incentive scheme by placing some of its new, quieter B737 Gamechanger aircraft in Dublin, adding new routes and more frequencies on existing routes.”
The latest coordination report from ACL Airports Ltd reveals that Ryanair has been granted an additional 4,387 slots at Dublin for the Summer 2025 season, signalling a positive step towards the airline’s long-term growth at the airport.
However, Ryanair’s expansion plans have not been without hurdles. In Winter 2023/24, the airline cancelled 17 routes and transferred its entire fleet of 19 “Gamechanger” aircraft to alternative EU airports. This decision came after Dublin failed to deliver a meaningful environmental incentive scheme to reward carriers using quieter, lower CO2-emission aircraft.
Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness, made it clear during a June 2024 Joint Committee on Transport and Communications debate that the airline had initially intended to expand Dublin operations in Summer 2024. Plans included adding three Boeing 737 aircraft and launching 16 new routes to Poland, the Balkans, and Scandinavia and Morocco, which was lost to Italy and Poland, due passenger cap.
Irish Aviation Research Institute © 13 December 2024 All Rights Reserved
