Dublin expansion 'to hit other airports'

The expansion planned for Dublin Airport will make it difficult for other airports to maintain current routes and passenger levels, according to a report commissioned by the Limerick Chamber.

Ellie Donnelly

The expansion planned for Dublin Airport will make it difficult for other airports to maintain current routes and passenger levels, according to a report commissioned by the Limerick Chamber.

Carried out by Denmark's Copenhagen Economics, the paper - which also received backing from Shannon, Ennis and Galway chambers - calls for a roadmap for more balanced growth in the regions, that builds on a closer integration of aviation policy with enterprise policy.

The report, which was presented to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, was framed against a backdrop of increasing passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.

Among the recommendations made is that the Department of Transport should assess the costs and benefits of increasing the number of airports eligible for State aid, which Shannon Airport currently does not qualify for. This would allow airports to compete on more equal terms, it said.

A spokesperson for the DAA, which owns and operates Dublin and Cork airports, said that much of the growth experienced by Dublin in recent years had not been at the expense of other airports in the State, adding that the hub was building a "very significant" transfer business.