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Tue, 06 Feb, 2024 - 13:20

Tadgh McNally, Political Reporter

A cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport was put in place due to concerns that surrounding road infrastructure would not cope with increased traffic, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said.

As the debate continues about increasing the 32 million passengers per year cap on the airport, Mr Ryan stressed that it was introduced by An Bord Pleanála due to projections that the local road infrastructure would be unable to cope with “ever-increasing growth”.

The Green Party leader said Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary was “wrong” to argue that because the M50 had been widened, there was room for the airport to expand.

“We knew back in 2007 when the cap was put in place that the M50 was going to be widened and all the analysis was already there to tell us that both the M1 — the main road in front of the airport — and the M50 were going to be at full capacity,” Mr Ryan said.

Asked if the Government had questions to answer over infrastructure deficits between the airport and Dublin city centre, Mr Ryan said that it did.

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“We do need the metro. It is coming.

“It will go to planning this month, it goes to oral hearing then. I expect we will get a decision this year on that and we will start building it because we do need it, not just for the airport but for the development of our city.

“So yes, there has been a historic underinvestment in public transport in our city,” he said.

However, Mr Ryan said that an increase to the cap does not have to wait until the metro is completed, highlighting the number of bus routes that go towards the airport.

“The best place to decide this issue is in the local authority, Fingal, and as needs be, An Bord Pleanála, reviewing that afterward. I think that’s absolutely appropriate,” he told RTÉ, adding that the independence of planning authorities needs to be recognised.

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