Seanad debates Dublin Airport passenger cap bill and regional airport development
Friday 10 July 2026
The Seanad has debated the Committee and Remaining Stages of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, which aims to remove the annual passenger cap.
The Seanad has debated the Committee and Remaining Stages of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, which aims to remove the 32-million-passenger annual limit at Dublin Airport.
The cap originally stems from a 2007 planning permission condition. Under the proposed legislation, introduced by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, the Minister would be granted explicit power to amend or revoke the passenger limit, following an independent environmental assessment by An Coimisiún Pleanála. The Bill previously passed the Dáil on 1 July 2026 with 118 votes to 28.
During the Seanad proceedings, Amendment No. 1 was ruled out of order by the Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, due to a conflict with the principle of the Bill.
Senator Joe Conway, supported by Senator Aubrey McCarthy, proposed Amendment No. 2. This amendment sought to require the Minister to lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas within 12 months detailing how smaller regional airports could be utilised to support regional development, lower fares, boost local employment, and reduce overreliance on larger airports. The debate featured contributions from several Senators regarding the balance of economic activity and transport infrastructure between Dublin and regional areas.