Varadkar backs plans to increase Dublin Airport cap despite Cabinet opposition

By Cate McCurry, PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has given his support to a rise in the cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport, but said it needed to be done “through the planning process”.

Describing Dublin Airport as the “main gateway to Ireland”, Mr Varadkar said any changes to capacity must be done in the right way.

Speaking in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said that issues concerning noise and sustainability need to be addressed.

While the Fine Gael leader backed the proposal for the 32-million passenger cap at the airport to be raised, he also said there is an obligation on the aviation industry to use aircrafts which emit less noise.

Dublin Airport has submitted an application to Fingal County Council to expand its capacity to 40 million passengers per annum.

Green Party politicians have questioned the proposals, including Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, leading to a potential split in Cabinet.

This week Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary described Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan an “idiot” and “incompetent”.

In a statement on Friday, Ryanair called for the Green minister to resign.

Mr Varadkar said he disagreed with Mr O’Leary’s view.

“He’s a colleague in Government. I’ve worked very closely with him now for nearly four years and the Greens are making an impact in Government. I think this is a better Government because the Green Party is part of it,” Mr Varadkar said.

“The issue of the cap is a planning matter ultimately, to be decided by the relevant authorities.

“I’m a former minister for transport and Dublin Airport is very near my constituency.

“I have a very strong view on this – I think it is very important that we invest our regional airports, Knock, Shannon, Cork. We have been doing that as a Government, but we shouldn’t forget that Dublin is the main gateway to Ireland.

“We’re an island nation, we need aviation and if we don’t raise the cap, we will be turning away people, tourists, visitors, businesses and driving up air fares and I don’t think that would be in our interest.

“I would like to see it raised but it needs to be done in the right way, it needs to be done through the planning process.

“We need to focus around genuine issues like noise and around sustainability.”

He added: “There are genuine concerns, for example, which I would know from my constituents, around noise, around flights happening at certain times.

“There has to be an obligation on the aviation industry to step up to the mark when it comes to moving towards aircrafts that are less noisy, like the newer ones, and also moving towards the use of sustainable aviation fuels.”

Speaking at the same event, Mr O’Gorman said that his own submission to Fingal County Council focused on the impact of noise.

“To clarify my own submission on that, what I focused on was quite a local issue which is the issue of noise generated from Dublin Airport and its impact that it’s having,” he said.

“So what my position was that, in terms of the work that the AA are doing, any review of planning guidelines has to look at the noise zones around Dublin Airport and particularly look at seeing how we can better compensate, how we can better support individuals, in terms of noise insulation.

“That was the focus of my own submission on the review to Fingal in the last few days.”

He added: “I think we need a strong focus on the development of our regional airports.

“I think we have seen very significant growth in Dublin Airport over the last number of years.

“I think one of the key themes of this Government has been the idea of better, more balanced economic growth.

“I think part of that has to be ensuring that airports around the country like Knock, like Shannon, are supported to develop and allow greater development in those parts of the country.”

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said the Planning Act precludes him from giving an opinion on the current planning application.

“Ultimately, it would be a planning decision made at planning authority level,” he said.

“I know the importance of the airport. I know the airport are good neighbours, and work on that principle, that they are good neighbours with the adjacent communities.”