Ryanair has switched Leinster Rugby’s away match flights from Dublin to Belfast due to the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) blocking the necessary slots, despite these flights operating annually for 20 years.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has the power to instruct the IAA to permit these flights but has failed to take action, resulting in the team needing to travel to Belfast for matches in Bristol, Cardiff, and La Rochelle.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary shared: “The Irish Transport Minister has the power to issue a Letter of Direction to the Irish Aviation Authority, telling them to allow these regular winter extras for Leinster Rugby flights, for Santa flights to Lapland at Christmas, and hundreds of Christmas extras to/from Dublin, which enable thousands of Irish families to reunite over the Christmas holidays. It is unacceptable that Ireland’s Transport Minister won’t exercise his legal power to approve these extra flights. If he won’t act (as he has failed to for 4 years now), we then call on Green Tourism Minister Catherine Martin to take action.
Dublin Airport opened a second runway in 2022, taking runway capacity up to 60m passengers. However, because of Eamon Ryan’s failure to act, Irish airlines cannot add extra flights or effectively use this 2nd runway because of a 17 year old planning restriction (about road traffic concerns), which Fingal County Council and An Bord Pleanála themselves ignored in 2015 when they granted planning permission for Dublin’s 2nd runway.
The repeated failure of the Green Party to deliver the growth promised in their aviation and tourism policies in Government has now been exposed. Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin can and should now issue a Direction Letter to the IAA telling them to allow these extra slots, so that Leinster Rugby can travel to their away matches from Dublin Airport. This is also necessary to allow Irish families to travel to Lapland from Dublin not Belfast this Christmas. Irish aviation and tourism is the laughingstock of Europe, where 2 Green Ministers sit on their hands doing nothing while a 17 year old concern about road traffic blocks growth of Irish air traffic, tourism and jobs. The sooner an Election takes place and these failed Green Ministers are replaced, the better it will be for Irish aviation, Irish tourism and Irish economic growth.”
