Business Aviation celebrates Dublin Airport’s draft decision
Business aviation organizations from Ireland, Europe, and the United States have expressed strong support for the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) draft decision to avoid capping general aviation (GA) traffic at Dublin International Airport for the winter 2024/2025 season. This decision averts a potential ban on non-scheduled flights, including business jets.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., advocates for 10,000 members who own, operate, and maintain business aircraft. The NBAA praised the IAA’s April 11 draft decision regarding the Winter 24/25 season parameters for Dublin Airport, which spans from October 27 to March 29. The NBAA’s approval followed similar endorsements from the Irish Business & General Aviation Association (IBGAA) and the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) in a joint letter.
All three organizations commended the IAA’s “pragmatic,” “logical,” and “common-sense approach” to the GA sector.
In its draft decision, the IAA stated that general aviation, which does not utilize Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, would not be subjected to the passenger air transport movements (PATM) seat cap during Winter 2024/2025. Importantly, the IAA reaffirmed its commitment to review this decision in subsequent seasons, demonstrating its adaptability and responsiveness to the industry’s needs.
This draft decision is considered particularly important since the airport handled fewer than 18,000 GA passengers in 2023. Despite the relatively low passenger numbers, the lobby groups underlined the significant positive impact of the GA sector on the Irish, and specifically Dublin’s, economy by contributing over 2,000 jobs and nearly EUR1 billion (USD1.09 billion).
For commercial air traffic using Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, the IAA proposes capping capacity at 14.4 million seats for the entire Winter 2024 season. During Winter 2023, the seat count was just under 14.3 million, indicating that the adjusted number should suffice for historical slot entitlements.
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