Ryanair flights from Dublin airport to European destinations such as Spain, France and Germany have been cut from today amid a controversial annual passenger cap.
The budget airline has also stopped some flights to Lithuania and Romania.
It comes amid a 32 million a year passenger limit at Dublin Airport, which as a result will see airlines cutting the number of seats available to passengers flying in and out of the airport by an estimated one million next year.
The Irish Aviation Authority recently proposed limiting airlines at Dublin Airport to 25.2 million seats next summer to ensure they do not exceed the overall 32 million limit.
From today, Ryanair has reduced its schedule with routes affected including Asturias, Castellon and Santiago in Spain, as well as French destination Carcassonne, Leipzig and Nuremberg in Germany.
Palanga in Lithuania and Sibiu and Suceava in Romania are also impacted.
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It comes amid fears that holidaymakers flying out from Dublin Airport could see inflated prices due to the cap on the number of passengers allowed through the gateway.
Dublin Airport Authority, the body in charge of the airport’s operations, has said despite efforts to dampen demand it will take in almost one million more passengers than its 32 million cap for 2024.
The airport has applied to Fingal County Council to increase the cap on passengers to 40 million.
Dublin Airport is used extensively by the northern population because of its greater variety of flights and generally lower prices than Belfast or Derry.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary previously said 50,000 seats at the airline have had to be moved to Belfast International from Dublin already for this Christmas, while there will be an “inevitable” rise for summer holidays next year if the cap is not lifted.
“I think the only thing that will really act as a spur is when the crisis blows up this Christmas, when the airlines offer 250,000 less seats to Dublin this Christmas.
“When airfares exceed 500 euros one way, when 50,000 Dubliners are coming home to visit friends and family via Belfast, then finally we’ll probably get something done.
“We have now put 50,000 extra seats from Dublin into Belfast, we are diverting seats up to Belfast this Christmas because none of us are being allocated additional slots that we have been allocated every year for the last 30 years.
“At this point in time, we can’t grow next summer. Already in the summer of 2024 Ryanair had to divert three new aircraft which we had pencilled in for Dublin.
“Air fares will be higher next summer, hopefully not by a lot. Where you turn off growth, prices will rise. It’s inevitable.”
