John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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49. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the planned passenger cap at Dublin Airport will impact on regional flights within Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42051/24]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister of State about the planned passenger cap of 32 million passengers at Dublin Airport and its impact upon regional flights within Ireland and if he can make a statement on the matter. The matter was brought up by Deputy Pearse Doherty with regard to Donegal Cancer Flights and Services and the fact that there are 430 cancer patients, and this is the means by which they get to hospital on Monday night on RTÉ. We cannot have these people impacted by this cap. There is a wider issue with regard to this cap.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy should be aware, as should all of the House, increasing capacity at Dublin Airport is in line with the national aviation policy and it is something that I and the Government want to see happen, notwithstanding the planning framework within which we all must operate. We recognises the strategic importance of Dublin Airport to meeting national social and economic policy goals. That aviation policy includes an objective to develop Dublin Airport as a secondary hub airport. To reiterate, the constraints on Dublin Airport are imposed by planning conditions and not by any decision of Government or any policy approach.

While I recognise the importance of the airport to Ireland’s island economy, it is important to ensure the sustainable development of Dublin Airport, to balance the objectives of the national aviation policy, the needs of business and tourism interests and the legitimate rights of local residents, some of whom I am meeting later today who are concerned about noise levels, etc., and to grapple with the issue of night flights which had been recently complicated by an An Bord Pleanála draft decision. There are many moving parts to this tapestry which can be difficult to align.

On regional flights within Ireland, I would like to confirm to the Deputy because his question focuses on the regional flights impact and it is a concern I share, that there are currently two domestic scheduled passenger services operating to and from Dublin Airport. One is an Exchequer funded-public service obligation, PSO, air service operating between Donegal and Dublin airports. The other air service operates between Kerry and Dublin airports on a commercial basis. That service previously operated as a PSO service until July 2021.

On the Donegal to Dublin PSO, this is funded by Government under my Department’s regional airports programme. This programme provides support to Ireland’s smallest airports being those that provide scheduled passenger services and handle fewer than one million annual passengers. The current PSO contract commenced on 26 February 2022 and is for a four-year period. It provides for a twice daily two-way air services with same day return trips from Donegal. It also provides for further onward international connectivity via Dublin Airport.

I am aware of concerns on the anticipated impact on those slots and flights by the cap at Dublin Airport but I reassure the Deputy that there is a provision in the EU slot regulation directive, which provides that slots may be reserved by member states for the operation of PSO services. In short, that means that the PSO services are capable of being ring-fenced external to the cap. That is good news to the Deputies and to the airlines. I am meeting representatives of one of the airlines affected that operates the Donegal service later today and I hope that will be welcomed by all concerned. It is something that I was keen to address in dealing with this issue.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That definitely was the request that this passenger cap, whatever the wider issues are, should not impact, in particular, PSOs. We are talking tourism but we are also talking about those who have absolutely necessary medical and health reasons for travelling. I welcome that and we need to ensure it happens because the chairperson of the airline had stated that there could be an issue about the viability of the service. If that deals with that issue, that is definitely a good thing. We need to ensure that all of the i's are dotted and t's are crossed to ensure that happens so that we deliver for these people.

There is a wider issue with the planning conditions. Dublin is an airport hub. Whatever we do with our regional airports, if we lose flights here, they go to London, Prague and to the other places. We need to ensure that we do not lose out on what is a major hub airport and connectivity. We absolutely rely on this. Whatever the reasons for it, a solution needs to be found. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the Minister of State and with the Government and there needs to be a solution.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I could not agree more with the Deputy and I am actively engaged in trying to find a solution. I find it somewhat extraordinary that 17 years had elapsed since the 2007 cap had been imposed until last year when the DAA lodged its planning application to lift the cap. One might have thought that given an issue with such gravity that it might have been addressed earlier. We are where we are, however. There are multiple agencies in the mix. It sometimes appears that it is something of an alphabet soup with the IEA, DAA, FCC, ABP, ANCA and so on and so forth. It appears that some rationalisation and simplification may be desirable in the future because, quite frankly, as a nation we have to do planning better, faster and in a more streamlined fashion. That is a concern.

In the interim, we have to attempt to mitigate the impacts of the cap and we also need to encourage and to explore ways to perhaps exploit their consideration. That is something that I am actively involved in. Just today alone I am meeting representatives one of the regional airlines and I am also meeting groups of residents. I have met with all of the aforementioned the regulator, Dublin Airport Authority, the airlines including the American airlines, I have visited the regional airports and so on and so forth. I am actively engaged in searching for short-term solutions. The long-term solution is that the planning process does its job. It would be preferable if it could do its job in a faster and more concentrated fashion but in the short term we have to find mitigation. I am open to any side of the House that wants to propose actions which may help in that regard. I am all ears for any Deputies who wish to come forward with such suggestions.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It would be a much longer conversation if we are going to talk about the issues that exist around planning in this State and its history. There is no doubt that there is a huge number of issues with regard the time it takes and the fact that there cannot be any guarantees even when people can comply with planning conditions.

On the residents, it is absolutely necessary and a great deal of this should de done in a better way in engaging with those people with regard to the mitigations that can be introduced. We cannot have the State being impacted it how we operate as a society but even with regard to the operation of our wider economy. A solution needs to be found. I welcome the conversations with the carriers, the regional airlines and all of that but by hook or by crook, a solution needs to be found. It is not okay that flights will not be making it in and that we will be losing that necessary connectivity. It will have a detrimental impact on this State and on its economy.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy and I believe we are ad idem on this. I reiterate the Government wants to see the cap lifted. It is national aviation policy to grow the connectivity at Dublin Airport and indeed at the regional airports and across the island because we are an island nation.

Unfortunately, it is not a straightforward matter. It is one that whatever approach we ultimately take will require some time and some application by all involved. I have been working towards that in the consultation I have been undertaking of late, and I hope that will bring some more light than heat to the matter.