The High Court will hear urgent applications from Ryanair and Aer Lingus challenging the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) decision to cap Dublin Airport’s passenger numbers at 25.2m for the summer 2025 season, following a judicial review request planned for Monday.
Both airlines aim to pause the effects of the IAA’s decision, which cites constraints imposed by An Bord Pleanála’s annual passenger limit of 32m as a factor in setting the new cap.
An earlier IAA ruling already limiting winter 2024 capacity to 14.4m seats is currently under legal challenge, with Ryanair and Aer Lingus seeking to have both summer and winter cases heard together, although the IAA opposes this.
Aer Lingus plans to request a legal referral to the Court of Justice of the EU, while Ryanair argues that the recent cap could lead to significant operational losses and violate their constitutional rights, with the Dublin Airport Authority also pushing back on the limitations imposed by the IAA.
