Consumer Protection Commission chairperson Brian McHugh raised the Dublin Airport car parking problems of 2024 in his discussion on the annual report, saying it emphasised the importance of the CCPC’s role in ensuring open and competitive markets for consumers and businesses.
The report noted the CCPC’s successful intervention to block the sale of the QuickPark car park site at Dublin Airport to prevent a monopoly situation that could raise prices and reduce service quality, even though it meant that 5,000 spaces were unavailable to the public for a three year period while the vendors struggled to find a buyer.
The deal would have led DAA to control over 90pc of public car parking space serving Dublin Airport. DAA saw merit in appealing, but decided against an appeal in the hope the car park’s spaces got back on the market ahead of the busy summer period, something which did not happen.
The CCPC also defended its decision to assist the Italian competition authority during an unannounced search of Ryanair’s Dublin headquarters as part of an inquiry into potential abuses of market dominance.
Ryanair denied allegations of abusing its market position and subsequently lost a High Court appeal challenging the Italian authority’s search.
Brian McHugh shared, “As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC’s work is more important than ever and our vision for open and competitive markets where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do.”
