The IAA has set the 2024 price cap for Dublin Airport at €9.54 per passenger. A base price of €7.53 will be subject to increases and decreases based on Quality of Service performance.
Dublin Airport incurred a penalty of €0.06 per passenger for failing to meet security targets in February 2022.
A total QoS bonus of €4.5m was earned, whereas penalties summed up to €3.8m, yielding a net bonus of €0.7m.
The North Runway has introduced an additional €0.31 to the price cap due to its operational readiness.
The IAA shared: The Decision on an Interim Review of the 2019 Determination in relation to 2023-2026 (CP7/2022)1 set a base price cap for 2024 of €7.53 in real terms (February 2022 prices) on the maximum level of Airport Charges per passenger which may be levied by daa in respect of Dublin Airport.
The price caps can increase if certain Quality of Service (QoS) bonus thresholds are met and can decrease if QoS targets are not reached. The maximum size of the potential increase for 2024 was €0.15 (February 2022 prices) from QoS bonuses, with up to €0.36 (February 2022 prices) at risk if QoS targets were not met.
Dublin Airport incurred a penalty of €0.06 per passenger, in February 2022 prices, for not meeting security queue time targets. This was, however, an improvement when compared with 2023 when Dublin Airport incurred the maximum penalty possible of €0.21 per passenger.
Cleanliness of washrooms, along with information on ground transport were below target, resulting in a penalty of €0.05 per passenger. However, with respect to passengers with reduced mobility (PRM), Dublin Airport performed well, achieving bonus thresholds across four passenger satisfaction metrics. All wait times for assistance targets for PRM were also met. Coupled with bonus scores for overall satisfaction, ease of movement, finding your way around, flight information screens, availability of baggage trolleys, and satisfaction with the free wi-fi, Dublin Airport achieved a total bonus of €0.13 per passenger.
The Decision on an Interim Review of the 2019 Determination in relation to 2023-2026 also allowed for a limited range of costs which are outside of the control of Dublin Airport to be passed on through the price cap. This has been limited to local authority rates applicable to the regulated entity, and legislatively mandated operating expenditure.2 As a result, the price cap for 2024 increased by €0.40 per passenger. The price cap is also subject to a trigger allowance of €0.31 per passenger, in February 2022 prices, as a result of the North Runway being delivered and fully operational.
The impact of the both the QoS rebate and bonus, along with a Consumer Price Index adjustment of €1.28, and other adjustments of €0.71, resulted in a final price cap for 2024 of €9.54 per passenger. Based on overall passenger numbers, Dublin Airport therefore incurred a QoS bonus of €4.5m and a penalty of €3.8m, resulting in a total net bonus of €0.7 million (February 2022 prices).
Arriving at the Final 2024 Price Cap
- Base Price €7.53
- QoS Bonus €0.13
- QoS Rebate (€0.11)
- North Runway Trigger €0.31
- CPI Adjustment €1.28
- Cost Passthrough €0.40
- 2024 Price Cap €9.54
Editor of Trave Extra Eoghan Corry shared: When an airport comes under pressure, as Dublin came for the past three years, one of the first things to show is the toilets. Kenny Jacobs described the toilets as “like something you come across in Africa.” when he took over as CEO.
There are 500 toilets in the airport and not all of them are under the same pressure, the ones in the arrivals hall in T1 and immediately past security, those on the 100 gates and those on the walk through from the 400 gates and at the corner of the baggage hall in T2 are where most of the problems arrive.
There seemed to be a convoluted system in place that took an age to fix something like an overflow or a broken tap or door handle. There was a shortage airside and an excess of capacity landslide, due to the change in the nature of airport traffic, so they tried to flip from one side to the other. Clearly it is not working as well as they would like, but it is not lagging behind internationally like it used to and way ahed of what passengers endured in 2022 and 2023.
