Ryanair Calls For 30% Cut in Dublin Airport’s High Fees

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Ryanair News
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News Release
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30.01.09
Ryanair Calls For 30% Cut in Dublin Airport’s High Fees

(AND THE SCRAPPING OF THE €10 TRAVEL TAX)

TO REVERSE TRAFFIC DECLINES

Ryanair today (30th Jan) called on the Government owned DAA monopoly to cut airport charges by 30% - thereby reversing the price increases imposed on airlines and passengers over the past 3 years. These unjustified price increases from carparks to check-in desks, to the treble charging for kiosks have created a wave of route closures and airline departures from high cost Dublin Airport, as competitor airports across the UK and Europe lower their charges, leaving Dublin Airport uncompetitive and out of touch.

Dublin Airport’s traffic declined by 9% in December and is now in freefall. The DAA’s attempt to blame this on fuel surcharges is absurd, when very few passengers at Dublin pay fuel surcharges. This traffic collapse will accelerate next April when the Government’s new €10 travel tax is introduced. At a time when the Irish Government is looking for ways to stimulate economic activity and job creation, the DAA’s policy of imposing inflation busting price increases, building inefficient and over-specified facilities and delivering perhaps the worst airport service in Europe, continues to damage Irish traffic and Ireland’s reputation abroad.

Speaking today, Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Ryanair and other airlines at Dublin have long complained about the high cost, out of touch, “couldn’t care less” attitude of the Government owned DAA monopoly. The traffic collapse at Dublin Airport in recent months shows the damage the DAA monopoly is doing to Irish tourism and the Irish economy. At a time when Ryanair is growing traffic by 14%, at lower cost airports all over Europe, the 9% fall in Dublin’s traffic in December can only be explained by the high costs and third rate facilities passengers are subjected to by the DAA monopoly.

“The DAA which has increased charges by 30% over the past three years – more than twice the rate of inflation - should now reverse these charges by reducing carparking, airport check-in fees and passenger fees by 30%, and eliminating the double and treble charging for things like kiosks in terminals which are already fully paid for by the airlines through high passenger charges. The Government can also play its part by scrapping the insane €10 travel tax which is to be levied on passengers next April.

“As the string of route closures and airline withdrawals from Dublin over the past 12 months demonstrates, the DAA monopoly is doing real damage to Irish tourism and the Irish economy. This traffic collapse will get worse next April when the Government’s crazy €10 passenger tax is introduced. At a time when the Government is asking all sectors of Irish society to share the pain, it is not unreasonable to ask the Government’s own airport monopoly to lead the way by reversing the cost increases imposed on airlines and passengers over the past 3 years. This 30% cut in charges if implemented will simply return the DAA to the charging levels which prevailed back in 2007. It would reverse the traffic declines which the DAA has been responsible for at Dublin Airport last year, although even with a 30% cut in costs, Dublin Airport would still be much more expensive than most other UK and European airports who are now reducing costs to stimulate traffic and tourism growth”.