Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-08
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Joe Conway (IND), Cultural and Educational Panel

I move amendment No. 2:
In page 7, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following:
“Report on regional development
4. (1) The Minister shall within 12 months of the passing of this Act lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on how smaller regional airports can be effectively utilised in order to support regional development.
(2) The report should take into account how smaller regional airports can be utilised to support lower fares, increase local employment and reduce the need to rely on larger airports.”.
I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this. Cuirim fáilte mhór arís roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach seo. The substance of this amendment was adverted to a week ago, on 1 July, when we mentioned that the airport traffic numbers are levitated in a type of balance. When a preponderance of numbers is going through Dublin Airport and 60% of the economic activity of the country is centred within a 60 km radius of O'Connell Bridge, we are looking at a situation where there is a great discrepancy between the viability, prosperity and potential of regional airports and the airport in Dublin. As the Minister well knows, the programme for Government puts front and centre the concept of balanced regional development. To my way of thinking and that of any logical person looking at it, the untrammelled expansion of Dublin Airport flies in the face of balanced regional development vis-á-vis airports.
There is no doubt that a lot of people will want to fly in to Dublin Airport, but as I said last week, we had some years ago the closure of the rail line between Waterford and Rosslare. It caused uproar and was rationalised by Iarnród Éireann at the time. It said it was a railway that was not being used. Of course, that only told half the story. It was not being used because they ran trains at the most bizarre times of early morning and late at night. You orchestrate the result you want to get. There is an element of that in promoting, untrammelled, the airport in Dublin. That is making it more difficult for regional development and for regional airports in particular to grow themselves and attract numbers to boost tourism and generate economic development. It is for that reason that Senator McCarthy and I wanted to put down this amendment. It is a theme happily gravitated towards by Members last Wednesday evening. We are pushing at an open door. Everybody in this Chamber and in these Houses would champion the cause of balanced regional development. We know it is the thing to do. It is good for the environment. It is good for local economies. It is good for the social life of the country. It is good for our morale. It is good for Ireland. When we bow down and worship at the altar of one not very euphoniously mouthed airline magnate who is demanding these things happen at Dublin Airport, that is making a terrible sacrifice and martyrdom of the potential that exists in rural and suburban Ireland. I wanted to put down those markers and I hope my colleague will have something further to say on the matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-08/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:10+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08