EU court backs Dublin Airport’s 32 million passenger cap in landmark ruling
The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that Dublin Airport must adhere to a 32 million passenger annual cap established in 2007. This decision supports the Irish aviation regulator's authority to limit flight slots, impacting major airlines like Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
Why it matters
The ruling sets a legal precedent for airport capacity management and creates significant operational challenges for airlines operating in constrained hubs.
That capacity is dictated by a 2007 planning decision issued by An Bord Pleanála, which said Dublin Airport’s operations must not exceed 32 million passengers annually. File picture
Ireland’s aviation regulator has the power to limit the number of flights to and from Dublin Airport to accommodate 32 million passengers, a landmark judgement by the Court of Justice of the EU says.
In its long-awaited ruling on the controversial Dublin Airport passenger cap on Thursday morning, the CJEU said that the airline slots allocated by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) “must reflect, in operational terms, all the capacity that is actually available at a coordinated airport”.
“The Court concludes that such a limit must be taken into account when determining the coordination parameters,” the judgment said.
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