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Airline companies warn of hit to Irish economy from Dublin passenger cap

A passenger cap at Dublin Airport is set to damage Ireland's economy and damage strategies to expand the country's dominant airport into an international aviation hub, Irish airline company bosses and the airport's CEO alerted on Thursday.

The number of guests at the airport, which carries around 80% of the country's air guests, was capped at 32 million when coordinators approved the building and construction of a second terminal in 2007, in part to prevent local roadway congestion.

The airport on Thursday cautioned it was on course to overshoot that by a million guests this year after a record September, regardless of having minimized passenger numbers across the year by roughly 650,000.

Airline companies fear this year's overrun could be clawed back through a matching cut in capacity in 2025.

While a preparation application has been lodged to lift the cap to 40 million, the process is widely anticipated to take years, prompting executives to call on the federal government to take action.

The federal government has consistently stated that it has no powers to intervene in the preparation procedure.

Let's not make Ireland the chuckling stock of Europe, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O'Leary stated at a news conference, adding the factors for the cap had actually lapsed.

The roadway traffic is not a problem, and for that reason our company believe this limitation must be raised.

Conor McCarthy, founder and chairman of the nation's main regional airline Emerald Airlines, said in an interview that at least one of its paths was at danger as an outcome of the cap, which was avoiding the airport from taking advantage of a. 320-million-euro ($ 353 million) 2nd runway.

It is Ireland's version of Brexit: we get the golden. goose and kill it in front of everyone, McCarthy told Reuters.

McCarthy, who had key functions at Ryanair and AirAsia before. establishing Emerald Airlines and maintenance company Dublin Aerospace,. prompted the government to exempt transfer passengers from the cap.

Aer Lingus, part of the International Airlines Group. that likewise owns British Airways, has been promoting. Dublin as an alternative to London Heathrow for British and. Irish travelers crossing the Atlantic. It has actually likewise alerted of. damage to the economy.

Things are going to get worse before they get better,. Dublin Airport Authority employer Kenny Jacobs stated. The coming. months will see the traveler cap beginning to bite more strongly.

Ryanair prompted the federal government to direct regulators to release. more slots, stating Dublin was losing traffic to Belfast, Italy. and Poland.

Eamonn Ryan, a previous leader of the Green Celebration who is. minister for environment and transportation, has stated the DAA should. abide by the cap.

O'Leary accused the government coalition celebration of dragging. its feet, a charge Ryan has actually denied.

It's totemic for the Greens. They don't wish to be seen to. be doing anything for aviation, O'Leary stated.

(source: Reuters)