Ryanair boss warns Christmas flights could cost 'triple' due to Dublin Airport passenger cap

Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary has warned that passengers flying through Dublin Airport next summer could face much higher fares if airline seats numbers have to be cut to comply with the passenger cap.

A reduction of up to 1m passengers may be required to ensure that the 32 million per year ceiling at the airport is not breached next year.

This reduction was suggested by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which has written to Ryanair, the daa and all other airlines, inviting proposals on how any reduction would be implemented in practice.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland however, Mr O'Leary said that the IEA "don't even know what they are up to at the moment" and called the passenger cap "ridiculous" and "idiotic".

"Any such cuts will do real damage to Irish tourism and Irish jobs and will result in much higher air fares for Irish citizens and their families going abroad in summer 2025," the chief executive said.

However, a spokesman for the IAA said it has not made any suggestion to reduce summer traffic in 2025.

Mr O'Leary stated that airlines using Dublin Airport were warned there would be no extra slots for Christmas flights this winter or for sporting events such as Premier League matches.

"We can't run slots at Christmas, nobody's going to be allowed to run extra flights, and therefore the fares this Christmas will be probably double or triple what they have been in recent years - there won't be enough capacity to fulfill the demand," he said.

Passengers looking to fly home from London via Dublin this Christmas could face one way fares of up to €500, he said.