Dublin Airport slumps to 17th in EU traffic league

Ryanair today (28th Dec) released independent research which confirms that Dublin Airport’s seat capacity has slumped from 10th to 17th in a league of EU airports this winter. The report, by RDC Aviation, also shows that Dublin Airport has suffered the largest capacity cuts of any of Europe’s 25 largest airports. This slump proves that the Govt’s €10 tourist tax has devastated Irish traffic and tourism in 2009 and disproves the Dept of Transport’s false claims that Dublin Airport’s traffic collapse is “an international phenomenon”.

This report shows that in December Dublin Airport has been overtaken by London (Gatwick), Oslo, Zurich, London (Stansted), Vienna, Paris (Orly) and Copenhagen as Dublin suffers capacity cuts of over 165,000 seats in December alone. This trend will continue throughout 2010 as the Govt has recently instructed the Aviation Regulator to rubber stamp a 40% increase in the DAA charges from January 2010 onwards.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said, “The Dept of Transport has lied repeatedly about the cause of the record collapse in traffic at Dublin Airport in 2009 by claiming it is ‘an international phenomenon’. This is rubbish when the reality is that their €10 tourist tax and high charges at the DAA Monopoly have made Dublin an uncompetitive, expensive, destination.

Ireland’s traffic and tourism decline will increase in 2010 when charges at the DAA Monopoly rocket by over 40% as the Dept of Transport rewards the DAA for its traffic decline and the €1.3bn white elephant, T2. These 40% cost increases will force Ryanair and Aer Lingus, both of whom have grown in 2009, to continue to grow outside of Ireland. Unfortunately 2010 will be even worse than 2009 in terms of lost visitors, jobs and tourism revenues in Ireland. It is time to axe this stupid €10 tourist tax and slash the DAA’s high fees in the same way that many other EU countries have this year in order to grow their tourism while Irish tourism slumps.”