Airfares will surge to around €500 each way in and out of Dublin this Christmas due to the passenger cap at the airport, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has said.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Mr O’Leary continued his attacks on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, labelling him an “incompetent Transport Minister who will not lift a finger when it comes to aviation”.

The 32 million passenger cap was introduced by An Bord Pleanala in when it approved the airport’s second terminal in 2007 due to concerns about road traffic access to and from Dublin Airport.

Mr O’Leary said the cap will mean €500 flights at Christmas and “vastly higher airfares”

“We are looking at €500 one-way airfares this Christmas, and I think that would be a good value fare,” he said.

“Like, what do you think happens if you reduce supply by one-third? And it's not just Ryanair, Aer Lingus and everybody else is not allowed to add extra flights.

“If you reduce supply by a third, I think, fares are going to double or even treble.

“Can you still get fares today at this Christmas for about £50? Yes, but by the time you get to October, November, December, they'll be gone.

“We’ll be pricing up, I think, €500 one way.”

Micheal O’Leary poses with photoshopped pictures of ministers Catherine Martin and Eamon Ryan wearing ‘dunce’ caps. Image: Ryanair

He said passengers are also looking at higher fares next summer.

“We had planned to add three more aircraft to Dublin in the summer of 2024,” he said. “Two went to Italy and one went to Poland.

“We're now adding about 50,000 extra seats this winter, at Christmas, into Belfast to serve Dublin but we can't add any extra seats in Dublin Airport.

“The airlines at Dublin are now being asked for their proposals, by the IAA in a letter dated the 14th of August, ‘Send us in your submissions as to how you can operate one million less seats in the summer of 2025.’

“That means vastly higher airfares for families traveling abroad next summer.”

Passenger cap

Airport operator DAA has lodged a planning proposal featuring a “wide range of improvements” aimed at increasing the cap; however, the planning process could take a number of years.

Ryanair is urging the Government to intervene and instruct DAA to ignore the cap until the planning process is complete.

Minister Eamon Ryan has said it would be illegal for him to intervene – adding that he has to respect the planning process.

Mr O’Leary labelled that claim “typical rubbish coming out of Eamon Ryan”.

He said the cap was introduced based on unfounded fears about road access to the airport – however, far more people are now using public transport to get there.

Airfares

“All we need now is a competent transport minister to intervene and say this condition no longer applies and that there was clearly no basis for those worries,” he said.

“There is no doubt the cap will be lifted. The question is, will it be lifted in time for this Christmas?

“Or are we going to have to wait for years and hinder the growth of Irish tourism and Irish jobs for a period of four years?

“Because we have an incompetent Transport Minister who will not lift a finger when it comes to aviation, we're stuck with this cap.”

Mr O’Leary also questioned why Fingal County Council approved Dublin Airport’s new runway if there were still concerns about road access.

He called on Minister Ryan to instruct the DAA to ignore the cap while the planning process is ongoing.

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