Irish government moves to scrap passenger cap at Dublin Airport

The Irish government is planning to scrap a passenger cap at Dublin airport that the aviation industry says prevents the addition of new routes and weighs on economic growth.

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien told the Irish Independent newspaper on Sunday that he will send a memo to Cabinet in the first week of October and begin the process of drafting legislation that will remove the airport's 32 million a year passenger limit.

The number of passengers at Dublin airport, which carries around 80% of the country's air travellers, was capped at 32 million when planners approved the construction of a second terminal in 2007, in part to avoid local road congestion.

The airport overshot the cap by over 1 million passengers in 2024, and the High Court in April extended an earlier ruling that prevented regulators from cutting the number of passenger seats during the March to October summer season with an initial suspension.

If the legislation proceeds, it will see a removal of the cap at Dublin Airport by the end of next year.