RYANAIR has warned that passengers will face higher airfares for travel to and from Ireland at the end of this year due to passenger caps imposed by the Irish government.
The Irish no frills airline claims more than one million of its planned flights to and from Dublin Airport have been blocked by new limits imposed on the number of passengers allowed to fly in and out of the city.
Last month the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) confirmed that it will limit winter traffic at Dublin Airport to just 14.4m passengers.
This is the first time that the IAA have imposed such a limit and Ryanair claims it has meant the airline was allocated “one million less seats this winter than required to meet demand from families travelling during October mid-term breaks, major sporting events and returning home to visit loved ones at Christmas”.
The airline has urged Ireland’s transport minister to intervene and “urgently scrap” the cap.
“This winter, Ryanair sought to add three new Boeing aircraft to our Dublin fleet, add 15 new routes and grow traffic by nine per cent to 7.5m passengers, however, Ryanair has only received sufficient slots to carry 6.4m passengers,” Ryanair’s Eddie Wilson explained.
“This artificial cap is now starting to bite with a ban on additional extra flights that are required to meet customer demand, especially at peak travel periods like mid-term, sporting events and Christmas, which is going to result in significantly higher airfares as demand will exceed supply. “
He added: “Not alone is Ryanair’s $300m investment and new jobs being blocked but this enforced reduction in seats will only lead to consumers having to pay higher air fares and may well result in the return of pricing that was last seen in the 1980’s.
“It is inexplicable that Minister Ryan has done nothing in the last 4+ years to intervene, despite the traffic cap completely contradicting his own National Aviation Policy.
“Ryanair calls on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to urgently lift this archaic and destructive traffic cap from Dublin Airport, which is a vital piece of national infrastructure. “
Mr Wilson claims it is passengers who will face the brunt of the passenger cap.
“Unfortunately, families returning home for Christmas, getting away for the October mid-term or attending sporting events will now have to pay for Minister Ryan’s inaction with higher airfares as demand at these peak periods is outstripping the supply of flights that Ryanair unfortunately will have to send elsewhere in Europe.”