Ryanair has condemned the DAA decision to raise airport fees by 10pc from 2026.
In a strongly worded statement the airline claimed the increase would fund unnecessary projects like €280m tunnel.
Mr O’Leary stated increase damaged Irish traffic, tourism, and jobs. The company contrasted move with fee reductions in other European countries. Ryanair called on the DAA to cut costs instead of raising charges.
A written statement from DAA shared: “Maximum airport charges at Dublin Airport are set and regulated by the Irish Aviation Authority and remain among the lowest in Europe. The one euro increase in charges for 2026 is very modest and necessary to allow us to continue to improve standards for passengers, while ensuring that airlines – including Ryanair which has just enjoyed its biggest year ever at Dublin Airport – can continue to grow their operations here.”
“Airport charges at Dublin Airport are set out by the Irish Aviation Authority and remain among the lowest in Europe (see lIA graph below). While the IAA sets a maximum price cap through periodic determinations, currently covering 2023-2026, Dublin Airport is responsible for setting individual charges within that cap following consultation with users.”
Michael O’Leary shared “DAA has jumped at the first opportunity to hike its already high prices by another 10pc to cover its gold plated €3bn CAPEX programme, which it won’t deliver any extra capacity or growth. It’s bad enough that Micheál Martin’s “do nothing” Govt (with a 20-seat majority) has still not scrapped the Dublin Airport traffic cap, despite promising to do so “as soon as possible” last January. Now Dublin Airport is raising fees by 10pc in 2026 so they can build tunnels to nowhere which is driving up costs for passengers simply because it’s a monopoly.”
“Instead of wasting money on unwanted tunnels, the DAA should lower its high fees to grow Irish tourism, jobs – not penalise airlines and passengers with higher fees. Ryanair calls on the DAA to stop wasting money on ridiculous €280m tunnels and instead lower fees to grow Ireland’s connectivity and tourism, before it switches elsewhere in Europe where airports are lowering fees to promote airline investment and low-fare growth.”
