The threat of a proposed passenger traffic cap at Dublin Airport (EIDW) that would have resulted in a ban on nonscheduled flights, including general aviation operations, has been removed—at least for the time being. In a draft decision released late last week, the Irish Aviation Authority said it “will not implement any capacity parameter associated with certain planning conditions relating to the annual capacity of Terminals 1 and 2 at Dublin Airport,” the second busiest business aviation facility in Ireland.
Instead, the draft decision proposes to implement a seat capacity limit of 14.4 million seats for the winter 2024 season, meaning Oct. 27, 2024, through March 29, 2025.
“Operations not using the passenger capacity of Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 would not be limited by the seat cap,” said the decision. “This means that cargo and general aviation (GA) operations would not be limited by it. In the case of GA, this will be kept under review for future seasons. We note that, in any event, the question is of limited materiality in the context of the volume of GA passengers, of which there were less than 18,000 in 2023.”
The Irish Aviation Authority is accepting comments on the draft decision through April 24.