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Ryanair: DAA’s high costs causes 1.8m (12%) traffic collapse at Dublin Airport

Direct News Source

07-Oct-2010 Ryanair, Ireland’s favourite airline, today (7th Oct) responded to August traffic figures for Dublin Airport which showed 1,800,000 fewer passengers in the eight months to August 2010, a 12% year-to-date decline (12.5m vs. 14.3m).

Ryanair called on the Govt to axe its €10 tourist tax and reverse the 40% price hikes at Dublin Airport in 2010 where traffic is on target to fall by 3m passengers (to under 18m) for the second year in a row.

While Dublin Airport was losing almost 2m passengers so far in 2010, because of high fees and the €10 tourist tax, Ryanair grew by 5m additional passengers in the same period, carrying a record 7.7m passengers in August alone.

DAA & Ryanair Traffic Jan to Aug 2010

Passengers
2009
2010
Fall/Rise
Dublin Apt
14.3m
12.5m
- 1.8m (-12%)
43.1m
48.7m
+5.6m (+12%)

Ryanair called on the Irish Govt to follow the lead of other EU countries who have scrapped tourist taxes and/or slashed airport fees and returned to growth. Ryanair also called for the break-up of the high cost DAA monopoly, which has presided over two years of record traffic collapses at Dublin, when most other European airports have returned to growth.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said:

"It is extraordinary that Dublin Airport has lost 1.8m passengers in the first eight months of 2010 while over the same period Ryanair has grown by over 5m passengers. Clearly the Ryanair formula of low fares and avoidable charges works, whereas the Govt and DAA monopoly's high cost policy of tourist taxes and high airport fees fails.

As a result of these 40% higher airport fees and the unavoidable €10 tourist tax Dublin Airport's traffic is on course to fall below 18m in 2010, a second year of record traffic collapses at Dublin.

The Irish Govt cannot tax, and overcharge its way out of this recession. Dublin Airport can once again share in Ryanair's rapid growth, but only after the €10 tourist tax is scrapped and the DAA's 40% price increases are reversed."