DAA Notes Regulator’s Draft Determination on Passenger Charges

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) notes today’s announcement of a draft determination on passenger charges at Dublin Airport by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR).

Today’s complex determination by CAR is a draft document. The DAA will now carefully study the detail of the determination before responding to the regulator as part of the consultation process in advance of its final determination later this year.

The draft determination sets the maximum price for 2010 at €8.35 per passenger. The maximum price will then include a further unspecified amount from the opening of Terminal 2 to compensate for the operating costs of the new terminal.

Current passenger charges at Dublin Airport are among the lowest of any major European airport and have actually fallen by more than 30% in real terms over the past 20 years. Charges at Dublin Airport will continue to be among the lowest in Europe during the 2010-2014 period.

The DAA is currently investing €1.2 billion in new facilities to improve the passenger experience at Dublin Airport and deliver increased efficiencies for airlines, and has to be adequately remunerated for this investment programme.

The DAA notes that the regulator is mindful of his statutory role in enabling the company to operate and develop Dublin Airport in a sustainable and financially viable manner in the current climate.

The increase in passenger charges envisaged by this draft determination will not bridge the substantial shortfall in earnings that the DAA has previously indicated that it is facing due to the economic downturn, and the company will continue to seek significant savings through its ongoing cost recovery programme.
For information:
Paul O’Kane
DAA
353 1 8141897 353 86 6090221