Ryanair says that prices for ten flights from London to Dublin have reached £500 over the Christmas period.
That is the price on three flights today Friday 20th, three flights tomorrow 21st, four flights on Saturday 22nd, two flights on Sunday and one flight on Christmas eve.
The airline attributes these high prices to the previous government’s failure to grant extra flight slots that could have added 200,000 seats for the holiday season.
Over 20,000 passengers are reportedly flying home through Belfast instead of Dublin due to the high fares.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, emphasizes that lifting the cap would prevent future price surges and allow the addition of flights during peak travel periods.
Ryanair is calling on the new Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael government to abolish the Dublin Airport traffic cap to address rising airfares.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary shared: “We regret these very high one-way prices but they were inevitable on the last few seats when failed Green Transport Minister Eamon Ryan refused to write a letter to the IAA which would have allowed Ryanair and other airlines to add over 200,000 extra seats at Dublin this Christmas. We know there are huge numbers of passengers travelling home to Dublin each Christmas, and it is vital that the airlines are given permission to add extra flights to cater for these increased passenger numbers.
We welcome the formation talks of the new Government, and we welcome the fact that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael committed in their manifestos to abolish the Dublin Airport cap. Ryanair commits that if this cap is lifted, there will be no £500 fares in Christmas 2025 because we will be allowed to add 200,000 extra seats when demand increases, and this is the only way to keep fares low for Irish people travelling home for Christmas. These record high air fares show the urgent need for the new Govt to scrap the Dublin Airport Cap, and allow the airlines to use the 2 runways at Dublin to add extra flights for Rugby Internationals, Cheltenham and bank holidays and Christmas, so that we can keep fares in and out of Ireland lower than these £500 air fares. Thankfully the Greens have gone, and now this damaging Dublin Airport Cap should go with them.”
