Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-01 ============================================================ Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel I thank the Minister of State for being in the House this evening for this important discussion. I put my support on the record for the removal of the passenger cap, notwithstanding the issues identified by the community. I acknowledge all the work of local representatives in the localities around the airport. We need to manage and have a balanced approach to development and economic growth, while also trying to bring as many people with us as possible in these localities and communities. Dublin Airport, as we know, is such a key and important strategic asset for the country because we are an island nation. It is vital that we have strong connectivity and links right around the world. There is a great opportunity to promote further links as we have a strong diaspora in all corners of the globe. The economic vitality that breeds throughout the island is very pronounced and we know its importance. Dublin Airport provides over 30,000 jobs. As has been mentioned in previous debates, for every 1 million passengers that Dublin Airport has each year it promotes 1,000 jobs. The passenger cap of 32 million passengers is an artificial cap considering that over 36 million people passed through the airport last year. Given the fact there has been a lot of international interest in the removal of the cap because of economic challenges that have been faced by certain airlines that want to grow and improve connectivity, it is important it is removed. However, considering the points that have been raised, and I am sure will be raised and discussed, it is very important that we listen and are as skilful as possible in mitigating some of the issues caused by high-volume passenger numbers in communities. It is not for me to get into the weeds on that but we must lend support to local representatives and local communities to make sure that the principle of Dublin Airport being a good neighbour and a stakeholder within the community is embraced, not just in name only but factually and in a sincere way to at least mitigate some of the issues. I also strongly support the lifting of the cap. It would send a strong signal that Ireland is open for business and we can further develop links throughout the world. Especially given the reality of Brexit, there are increased opportunities for the airport and for Ireland in general. I know the importance of key infrastructure like airports, being from Mayo and the fact that Ireland West Airport Knock recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. That airport transformed the west of Ireland and is one of the most important assets we have there. I would like to see the airport further promoted and strengthened. As Senator Joe Conway mentioned, regional airports need to be supported. They can play a smaller part in connectivity for the regions, both for economic reasons and tourism opportunities. There are many people who live outside of the larger cities who can commute for work and regional airports improve business links for people, especially across the continent. They help us utilise the fact that we are a member of the European Union and have access to a market of over 400 million people. I reiterate my thanks to all who have engaged on this legislation so far. I also acknowledge the work of local representatives. Indeed, I acknowledge the work done by the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, in bringing it to this Stage. It is a positive step but it is important that this is not just a step forward while ignoring people in the community. It is important that the door is always open in a sincere way for engagement with local representatives and representatives of the airport. I support the Bill and thank everyone for their work on it. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-01/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:08+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-07-01