- Aer Lingus calls for end to US complaint on Dublin Airport cap
- Airlines for America filed complaint in January 2026
- Aer Lingus maintains no US carrier suffered harm
- Passenger Capacity Act enacted
- Dublin Airport handled 36.4m passengers last year
Aer Lingus has urged the US government to formally dismiss an ongoing complaint regarding Dublin Airport’s 32m passenger cap. In January 2026 the US airline lobby group Airlines for America filed a formal complaint with the US Department of Transportation arguing that the passenger limit at Dublin Airport violated the US-EU Open Skies agreement and threatened to harm American carriers. They asked the US to curtail or suspend Irish carriers’ rights to fly to the United States.
Aer Lingus maintained that no US carrier has suffered any actual harm since the complaint was filed noting that enforcement of the passenger cap has been legally stayed via a High Court injunction. Ireland enacted the Passenger Capacity Act which alongside ongoing diplomatic and legal steps created a clear path toward resolving the dispute.
Although Aer Lingus pushed for the complaint’s dismissal the US DOT previously extended action deadlines to monitor the rollout of new rules addressing the cap. The limit has already been breached with Dublin Airport handling 36.4m passengers last year.
