The hour long meeting yesterday March 7 between Transport minister Eamon Ryan and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary ended without resolution and generated another strident letter from Michael O’Leary.
Mr O’Leary reiterated three points, that the minister is not pursuing National Aviation Policy goals to enhance Ireland’s connectivity, foster aviation growth for job support, maximise aviation’s contribution to economic growth. Mr Ryan asked Ryanair about their commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. After the meeting Mr Ryan said: “It was a good meeting, he’s not shy.”
Mr O’Leary said there was “no meeting of minds” at the meeting and while Minister Ryan as a “nice guy but it is all pie in the sky,” O’Leary criticised the Minister’s focus on long-term goals like e-fuels in 2050 rather than addressing current issues such as the Dublin Airport cap in 2024 and 2025.
Mr O’Leary accused Minister Ryan of sending a message that Ireland is “closed for business,” stating that the lack of intervention has led to the relocation of aircraft from Dublin, resulting in a loss of passengers and jobs for Ireland.
During the meeting Mr O’Leary told Mr Ryan of Ryanair for 50pc growth plan in Irish aviation and tourism, investing over $1.6bn in new aircraft to increase traffic from 20m in 2023 to 30m by 2030. He said Ryanair plans to base 16 new 737 aircraft, create up to 800 jobs in Ireland, double traffic at Cork, Shannon, and Kerry, and open a new 2 aircraft base at Knock Airport.
Mr O’Leary criticised the Transport Minister’s position that he cannot intervene in the planning process to scrap Dublin’s traffic cap of 32m, citing previous intervention in planning process during Shannon LNG planning in 2022. “He said: I can’t intervene in the planning process, and we said ‘It’s your policy. This is typical of what we get from Eamon Ryan, all talk, no action, no delivery. Eamon Ryan has essentially told us that despite the fact that his own aviation policy is to grow, he’s now telling us ‘sorry, I’m not going to take any action. Would I be voting for him as the next transport minister, absolutely not.”
Mr Ryan said: “The issue is how do we make aviation sustainable, and in his mind how do we get the airport working properly. But you can’t do that by breaking the law, you can’t throw out planning. We’ve lost so much in this country by people riding roughshod over the planning system. He thinks I can just go in and change the law, change the rules, change the conditions, you can’t do that, you’ve got to respect the planning system.”
The letter concluded: We look forward to working with you to achieve these targets. However, if you continue to dither and duck these challenges, then we will continue highlight/condemn your failure to do
so. This Green growth opportunities sits on your desk, it’s now time for action on the issues from
Ireland’s Transport Minister.
