Sir, – Paul O’Kane of DAA attempted to rewrite history (September 1st) when he claimed “huge improvements” were made at Dublin Airport over the past five years. These “improvements” consist of doubling the DAA’s already high charges, which even Aer Lingus now describe as “insane”, traffic declines from 23.4 million passengers (2008) to just 18.4 million in 2010 and going six times over their original budget of “between €170 million and€200 million” on the construction of the €1.2 billion T2 white elephant.
The DAA’s claim that “charges have increased to pay for the improved facilities” is untrue. They have increased because the DAA blew six times its original budget even when the Regulator confirmed T2 was “oversized”.
The DAA claimed “having new and improved facilities enables Dublin Airport to pitch for new business”. However, since Dublin Airport’s charges are now “insane” the DAA has delivered no new business at Dublin since T2 opened almost a year ago.
The DAA’s claim that it “receives no taxpayer funding” is misleading. The “regulator” was ordered by the Department of Transport to allow the “oversized” T2 to proceed and more recently to allow a 40 per cent increase in airport charges so that in reality every taxpayer funds this white elephant every time they pass through Dublin Airport.
While Dublin Airport’s traffic has been falling, Ryanair, Ireland’s biggest airline, has grown traffic every year at airports across the UK and Europe which are lowering their charges to grow traffic. Sadly, the DAA prefers to “improve” Dublin by increasing charges with the result that traffic has collapsed.
Perhaps if the DAA spent less time rewriting history or wasting money on oversized unnecessary terminals at Cork and Dublin airports, and more time lowering its excessive charges, then Irish air traffic would be growing instead of declining. Isn’t it remarkable that the only thing growing at Dublin Airport is Declan Collier’s remuneration, which seems to rise each year that Dublin’s traffic falls. – Yours, etc,