Ryanair welcomes High Court decision - Dublin Airport

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Ryanair News
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News Release
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03.07.06
RYANAIR WELCOMES HIGH COURT DECISION OVERTURNING COORDINATION AT DUBLIN AIRPORT

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 low fares airline, today (3rd July 2006) welcomed the decision of the Irish High Court overturning the decision by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) to needlessly impose full slot coordination at Dublin Airport. The Court found that the CAR had failed to follow the required steps proscribed by the European Regulation on slot coordination. The Regulation states that full coordination of airports should be the last resort and should only be done if it can be demonstrated that there is a serious capacity problem that cannot be resolved in the short term. The Regulation requires the CAR to have an expert carry out a thorough capacity analysis and must consult with the airport and airport users. The CAR failed to do any of this.

Full coordination has been used by the monopoly airport operator to restrict capacity at the airport in order to justify bringing forward facilities that are not yet needed (e.g., the second runway), higher airport charges for airlines, and higher fares for consumers.

Commenting on the High Court’s ruling, Ryanair’s Head of Regulatory Affairs and Company Secretary, Jim Callaghan, said:

“We are delighted with the High Court’s ruling overturning the decision of the former Commissioner for Aviation Regulation, Bill Prasifka, to impose full coordination at Dublin Airport, where he completely failed to carry out any of the requirements in the EU Slot Regulation. Full coordination of an airport is clearly stated to be the last resort in the Regulation as it limits the flexibility of an airport and the airlines and therefore impedes growth. Prasifka failed to do even a rudimentary analysis of the capacity of the airport and didn’t consult with either the airport or the airlines before imposing full coordination.

"The decision to go to full coordination was only one in a long line of decisions by the former Commissioner that favoured the monopoly airport and that led to higher costs for consumers.

"Today’s decision by the High Court will result in more flights, more competition and lower fares for consumers.”