Regional balance is the solution to issues around the 32 million passenger-a-year cap at Dublin Airport, the Minister for Tourism has insisted, despite scepticism from airlines.
Speaking to reporters outside the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) conference in Dublin, Catherine Martin said there are “no capacity issues” at regional airports such as Shannon and Cork and that the “dispersal of tourists” to regional areas would be a “win win”.
DAA has said the limit will be breached this year, prompting the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to make fewer slots at Dublin Airport available for airlines this winter and next summer.
Ms Martin said she is “acutely aware” of the importance of air connectivity to the Republic’s economy. However, she said: “I would also recognise that there there are no capacity constraints in our regional airports. And I think asides from, even if there wasn’t a cap in Dublin Airport, we should be really focusing on regional tourism.”
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary earlier this month poured scorn on the suggestion there is enough demand for inbound flights to regional airports to make up for the loss of extra slots at Dublin Airport.
But Ms Martin said she understands research has shown that 34 per cent of inbound tourists “are going west” when they arrive in the Republic. “It’s the marketing of that to show the viability of Shannon and Cork as places to arrive in,” she said.
More to follow…
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