The limit, which applies to all passenger services using Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, has been introduced to take into account the airport's annual passenger cap of 32 million imposed by planning conditions. Airlines do not receive individual quotas.
The IAA said it had received around 70 submissions on the draft decision on the proposed seasonal sat cap. Airlines argued that the planning conditions did not constitute a relevant constraint and that the proposed maximum number of seats of 14.4 million was too conservative.
Local residents argued that the planning condition was relevant, but felt the IAA's proposal was too generous. The authority said that after considering the responses, it has decided not to change its draft decision.
Responding to the announcement, the Dublin Airport Authority said it welcomed the IAA's decision to introduce a seat limit parameter for airlines granted slots to fly to the airport during the 2024 winter season, as part of efforts to meet the passenger limit of 32 meters.
“However, DAA believes that there is still a significant risk that the number of passengers will exceed the 32 million limit by 2024, as additional measures proposed by DAA have not been accepted by the regulator in its final decision,” the report said .
Kenny Jacobs, the agency's chief executive, said Dublin Airport is currently between a rock and a hard place. “We want to continue to connect Ireland to the world, but we are also trying to meet a planning condition, even if that condition is less relevant than when it was decided almost 20 years ago.
'Pending approval of our application to increase our passenger numbers to 40 million per year, we are doing everything we can to limit growth to stay within the limit.
“The IAA plays an important role in supporting this. because it determines how many slots are allocated to airlines each year. More action is needed at this stage and we will work with the IAA and airlines to ensure any reductions are properly managed.”
The DAA has said that to meet the passenger cap, it has removed significant growth incentives for airlines, is proposing to reduce unscheduled flights and has asked some charter airlines to fly to airports other than Dublin.
The operator has told the IAA that a final decision on its application to Fingal County Council to increase the passenger cap to 40 million per year, which was submitted last December, is unlikely to be available this year or next.
The IAA does not accept that it has any role in ensuring that the 32 meter passenger limit is adhered to. It says that while the number of aircraft movements can be limited, the coordination parameters in themselves cannot deliver a specific passenger volume over a calendar year. “The proposed seat cover for the Passenger Air Traffic Movement (PATM) is a capacity parameter that comes closest to a passenger restriction,” the report said.
According to DAA statistics, only 5 percent of Dublin Airport's passengers did not use Terminal 1 or 2 last year. The remainder includes cargo and general aviation operations.
The DAA expects a loss of 249,000 transit passengers by 2024, which will reduce the share of all passengers not using Terminal 1 or 2 by approximately 0.7 percent.