The Dublin Airport Authority has applied for planning permission to raise the passenger cap at Dublin Airport from 32 million to 36 million per year. 

The planning authority will consult with the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority in its role as the regulator of aircraft noise at Dublin Airport.

The DAA's application will be assessed by the Planning Authority in accordance with relevant national and regional planning guidance, as well as the Fingal Development Plan and the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan.

There were no pre-planning meetings between the Planning Authority and DAA before it applied for the passenger cap raise.

Fingal County Council has started the validation process and the application will not be available to view online until Monday.

On The Anton Savage Show, DAA CEO Kenny Jacobs said that this application is the DAA saying “we can handle 36 million already, but we would like to remove the 18-year-old 32 million planning condition to do with traffic congestion coming to and from the airport”.

“That's unhelpful, but it's still a planning condition," he said.

“So, we have submitted to Fingal County Council what we call an operational no build application.

“We're not going to build anything new here, but it's basically saying we are comfortable that we can handle 36 million.

“That will further allow us to have some growth at Dublin, while we're ultimately waiting for the 40 million application that does require us to build some stuff.”

"Unique to Ireland"

Mr Jacobs said it will take “about four years” for the 40 million passenger cap to be granted in Dublin.

“I wish that could go faster, but look, that's the way planning is working in Ireland at the moment,” he said.

The amount of time this will take is a problem “unique to Ireland”.

“I think it's unique to Ireland and it's unique in the context of Dublin Airport,” he said.

“In the UK, if you're an airport, because they've classified it as strategic and very important to the economy, you go straight to the Government.”

The approval process is not as straightforward for Dublin airport.

“We apply to Fingal County Council, it then goes on to An Bord Pleanála, you then have noise regulation done by a different regulator,” he siad,

“That's three different regulators and regulatory systems looking at your planning permission.”

Significant effects

Mr Kenny said the passenger cap will begin to significantly affect Irish next year.

“If I just take January, February and March next year - for the first time since 2008, Irish aviation will grow at minus 3.3% and European aviation will grow at plus 6.5%,” he said.

“That's a 10% difference between what's coming in and out of Ireland versus what's coming in and out of Europe.

“We've always been ahead of Europe [in aviation].”

Mr Kenny also said that this Christmas is being affected by the cap – with 90,000 less seats available for flights in to Dublin Airport.

Listen back here:

Passengers arrive at Dublin Airport (Damien Storan/PA), © PA Archive/PA Images