Ryanair has argued that noise complaints from local residents are not valid. It says its research indicates that average daily noise levels in nearby communities such as St Margarets Ballyboughal and Ashbourne remain below 50 decibels which is considered quiet and safe.
Ryanair further noted that even with an aircraft passing overhead noise levels only increase to 52 or 53 decibels. It believes that people who moved to the area years after the airport opened in 1940 should not be able to block essential national infrastructure projects.
The submissions to the committee underline the opportunity for Dublin Airport to expand to between 50m and 60m passengers over the coming decade utilising the second runway opened in 2020.
Michael O’Leary shared “It is time for Micheál Martin to finally deliver on his Govt Program after 16 months of inaction and scrap the Dublin Airport cap as soon as possible”. There are no valid reasons to prevent airlines and the Irish economy from benefiting from the airports second runway which the airlines themselves are funding. Ryanair has 300 new Boeing aircraft on order which could bring significant additional routes traffic and jobs to Dublin and Ireland once the cap is removed and competitive airport charges are introduced.
Chris Sununu President and CEO of Airlines for America shared “Dublin Airports passenger cap is no longer just a planning issue. It is a policy choice that is holding back Irelands economy undermining certainty for airlines and travellers and putting vital transatlantic connectivity at risk”.
