On the 85th anniversary of Dublin Airport, operator daa has awarded €2 million to 40 primary and secondary schools in North Dublin and East Meath under its new Elevate ’25 programme. The grants will finance projects ranging from solar-powered outdoor classrooms to sensory rooms for special-needs students.
While the initiative is primarily community-focused, it plays into daa’s wider strategy to secure local backing for a planned application to raise the airport’s annual passenger cap from 32 million to 36 million. Community acceptance is critical, as Fingal County Council has yet to rule on the cap and associated night-flight limits—decisions that will affect international connectivity for multinationals headquartered in Ireland.
![Dublin Airport launches €2 million ‘Elevate ’25’ fund for local schools as part of expansion diplomacy]()
Elevate ’25 follows daa’s Community Fund, which has disbursed €3.3 million since 2017. The airport supports 116,000 jobs nationally—figures that feature prominently in lobbying material sent to councillors. By investing in education and wellbeing projects, daa hopes to blunt opposition rooted in noise and traffic concerns.
For global-mobility managers, an increase in passenger capacity would translate into more flight options and potentially lower fares on key transatlantic and European routes. However, a delay or rejection could constrain peak-season seat availability, a recurring pain point for corporate travel teams.
daa says the funded school projects will be completed by September 2026, coinciding with the timeline for the passenger-cap ruling and the airport’s broader €200 million capital programme.
While the initiative is primarily community-focused, it plays into daa’s wider strategy to secure local backing for a planned application to raise the airport’s annual passenger cap from 32 million to 36 million. Community acceptance is critical, as Fingal County Council has yet to rule on the cap and associated night-flight limits—decisions that will affect international connectivity for multinationals headquartered in Ireland.
Elevate ’25 follows daa’s Community Fund, which has disbursed €3.3 million since 2017. The airport supports 116,000 jobs nationally—figures that feature prominently in lobbying material sent to councillors. By investing in education and wellbeing projects, daa hopes to blunt opposition rooted in noise and traffic concerns.
For global-mobility managers, an increase in passenger capacity would translate into more flight options and potentially lower fares on key transatlantic and European routes. However, a delay or rejection could constrain peak-season seat availability, a recurring pain point for corporate travel teams.
daa says the funded school projects will be completed by September 2026, coinciding with the timeline for the passenger-cap ruling and the airport’s broader €200 million capital programme.
