Ryanair has called on the new Irish government to eliminate the Dublin Airport air traffic cap when it assumes power in January 2025.
It comes as Ryanair says one-way London to Dublin fares have surpassed £500.
It says there were £500 fares on 10 inbound flights over the pre-Christmas weekend and the following days this week.
Ryanair says this wouldn’t have happened if the airline had been granted its request for 200,000 extra seats to and from Dublin this Christmas.
These record high air fares are a direct result of the air traffic cap.
It claims over 20,000 Dublin passengers are flying home via Belfast this Christmas due to costs.
Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said: “We regret these very high one-way prices but they were inevitable on the last few seats.”
“We know there are huge numbers of passengers travelling home to Dublin each Christmas, and it is vital that the airlines are given permission to add extra flights to cater for these increased passenger numbers.”
This is the only way to keep fares low for Irish people travelling home for Christmas. These record high air fares show the urgent need for the new Govt to scrap the Dublin Airport cap.”
