Dublin Airport’s capacity capped at 32 million, the DAA has announced that it will incentivise airlines to use Cork as an alternative.
While lifting the cap at Dublin has been opposed by the Shannon lobby, the move from DAA will make it more difficult for Shannon to compete.
At one time the three State airports, Dublin, Cork and Shannon, were all under the Aer Rianta banner.
Then for a period of time all three were under DAA, before Shannon exited in 2013.
While Shannon is currently performing well, and is set to reach two million passengers this year, when the separation happened it was envisaged that the airport would hit that milestone years earlier.
Speaking about the moves to incentivise airlines to go with Cork, DAA CEO Kenny Jacobs said, “Cork Airport will continue to expand its route network, including offering new incentives to encourage airlines that are capped from growing at Dublin to take advantage of Cork Airport’s great facilities.
“Good connectivity throughout the island is critical to attracting tourists and investment to Ireland and there is a real danger of losing out to other countries while the Dublin cap remains in place.
“Airlines that move routes and traffic from Dublin to Cork Airport will be offered lower charges at Cork Airport to encourage airlines to keep those routes in Ireland and to support jobs and connectivity.”
Senator Timmy Dooley (FF)said that while Shannon being separated from the other State airports may be an issue, there is still an opportunity for the airport given the cap at Dublin.
“The position I would take is that it is something we all saw as a potential problem, and as you know I was never in favour of separation, but there is no point in us looking back now,” he said.
“That decision was a flawed decision, but it’s made and we have to move on.
“We now have to try to give Shannon the best chance it can given what could be a useful opportunity with the cap at Dublin. I have met with Mary Considine and I’ve met with some other members of the management team and they see the opportunity.
“It does require some policy decisions by Government which I am lobbying hard for.”
While the cap is unlikely to remain in place permanently, he feels that if it is scrapped it doesn’t necessarily mean Dublin’s domination has to grow even further.
“With the lifting of the cap and some imagination by policy makers it should be possible to manage more carefully the growth of Dublin, so it’s not a free for all.
“If that can be worked, and if Shannon can dig very deep and put in place some very attractive incentives it can get new business.
“I have every confidence inMary Considine to put forward a product offering to airlines that can win new business, but it’s not without its challenges.”
Shannon Airport recorded 1.959 million passengers in 2023, a 29% increase on the previous year.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.