Jim Mason
2007-05-21 21:48:15 UTC
News Release
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21.05.07
AVIATION REGULATOR FAILS CONSUMERS – AGAIN
Ryanair, Dublin’s largest airline, today condemned the Aviation Regulator’s
failure to put passengers ahead of the DAA’s profits. Dublin Airport’s traffic
is way ahead of forecast, so the maximum cap on passenger charges should be
reduced to take account of these bonus passengers. The Regulator is leaving
the existing charges unchanged, so they will continue to increase with
inflation, despite the third world facilities being provided by the DAA
monopoly.
Ryanair criticised the draft determination on the following grounds:
High passenger charges at Dublin should fall to reflect higher passenger
volumes.
The Regulator has rubber stamped the DAA’s capital expenditure which has
doubled from €500m in 2005 to over €1.2bn today.
If a competing terminal was built at Dublin Airport (as proposed by Bertie
Ahern’s Government and by Ryanair) then passenger charges at Dublin Airport
would fall, not increase.
The Regulator should require the DAA to use the €700m generated from the sale
of Great Southern Hotels, Birmingham and Dusseldorf airports to pay for them
without further increasing passenger charges. Passenger charges at Dublin
Airport originally paid for these investments and the profit from their sale
should be ploughed back into Dublin Airport to benefit consumers.
The Regulator claims that passengers using the existing T1 will have to pay
higher charges to pay for T2, even though they won’t be using it. This is
contrary to the “user pays” principle of airport regulation worldwide. Only
those passengers using T2 should pay for T2.
The Regulator has failed to stop T2, despite the fact that the recent An Bord
Pleanala hearings proved that it breaches Fingal Co. Co. planning guidelines
and the size of the facility has doubled without increasing the 15m passenger
capacity.
Speaking after today’s presentation by the Aviation Regulator, Ryanair’s CEO
Michael O’Leary said:
“This is another rubber stamping exercise by another Government appointed
Regulator who has failed to control a semi-state monopoly. The DAA plans to
waste €800m building a facility which should cost just €200m and which will
result in significantly higher passenger charges in years to come. This is
just another case of the Aviation Regulator failing Irish consumers.
“ Competition works. A competing second terminal was promised by Bertie
Ahern’s Government. He lied, and now the DAA are going to waste €800m and
increase passenger charges. Yet again the Regulator has failed to protect the
interests of consumers.
“It is unlawful that Ryanair’s price sensitive passengers using Terminal 1 will
now pay higher charges to pay for a Terminal 2 which they don’t want and will
never use. Today’s announcement proves yet again that this Regulator has
failed consumers and visitors”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
21.05.07
AVIATION REGULATOR FAILS CONSUMERS – AGAIN
Ryanair, Dublin’s largest airline, today condemned the Aviation Regulator’s
failure to put passengers ahead of the DAA’s profits. Dublin Airport’s traffic
is way ahead of forecast, so the maximum cap on passenger charges should be
reduced to take account of these bonus passengers. The Regulator is leaving
the existing charges unchanged, so they will continue to increase with
inflation, despite the third world facilities being provided by the DAA
monopoly.
Ryanair criticised the draft determination on the following grounds:
High passenger charges at Dublin should fall to reflect higher passenger
volumes.
The Regulator has rubber stamped the DAA’s capital expenditure which has
doubled from €500m in 2005 to over €1.2bn today.
If a competing terminal was built at Dublin Airport (as proposed by Bertie
Ahern’s Government and by Ryanair) then passenger charges at Dublin Airport
would fall, not increase.
The Regulator should require the DAA to use the €700m generated from the sale
of Great Southern Hotels, Birmingham and Dusseldorf airports to pay for them
without further increasing passenger charges. Passenger charges at Dublin
Airport originally paid for these investments and the profit from their sale
should be ploughed back into Dublin Airport to benefit consumers.
The Regulator claims that passengers using the existing T1 will have to pay
higher charges to pay for T2, even though they won’t be using it. This is
contrary to the “user pays” principle of airport regulation worldwide. Only
those passengers using T2 should pay for T2.
The Regulator has failed to stop T2, despite the fact that the recent An Bord
Pleanala hearings proved that it breaches Fingal Co. Co. planning guidelines
and the size of the facility has doubled without increasing the 15m passenger
capacity.
Speaking after today’s presentation by the Aviation Regulator, Ryanair’s CEO
Michael O’Leary said:
“This is another rubber stamping exercise by another Government appointed
Regulator who has failed to control a semi-state monopoly. The DAA plans to
waste €800m building a facility which should cost just €200m and which will
result in significantly higher passenger charges in years to come. This is
just another case of the Aviation Regulator failing Irish consumers.
“ Competition works. A competing second terminal was promised by Bertie
Ahern’s Government. He lied, and now the DAA are going to waste €800m and
increase passenger charges. Yet again the Regulator has failed to protect the
interests of consumers.
“It is unlawful that Ryanair’s price sensitive passengers using Terminal 1 will
now pay higher charges to pay for a Terminal 2 which they don’t want and will
never use. Today’s announcement proves yet again that this Regulator has
failed consumers and visitors”
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