Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-01
============================================================

Martin Conway (IND), Administrative Panel

I too welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to the House. He has a deep interest in aviation and has advocated for Cork Airport for many years. On what Senator Clifford-Lee and others regarding residents, it is only good manners that should be done. I sincerely hope it is being done. If it is not, it should be enshrined in the legislation to ensure it will be done.
I fully agree with the principle of removing the passenger cap in Dublin Airport. The cap as presented is bonkers. It just does not make sense. Why would you try to stop people coming into the country who want to come into the capital city? It has been violated extensively anyway so let us just deal with that particular issue, as we are doing. What Senator Ryan and others said about regional development is important. Shannon has struggled over the years yet is doing exceptionally well. Knock airport has a proud tradition and is doing exceptionally well at the moment.
Kerry Airport is holding its own. We have an opportunity here to do something constructive to support these airports. I was doing a bit of research before speaking. DAA, which comprises Dublin Airport, Cork Airport and Aer Rianta International, still an exceptionally profitable company, had a turnover in 2024 of €1.1 billion. I am considering tabling an amendment to provide that 1% of the turnover of DAA be ring-fenced for a development fund for regional airports to support what is already being done by the Government.

---

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