Marking its 85th anniversary, airport operator daa has awarded €2 million to 40 schools in North Dublin and East Meath under a new ‘Elevate ’25’ community-grant scheme. Projects range from solar-powered outdoor classrooms to sensory rooms for special-needs students.
While billed as corporate social responsibility, the timing is strategic: daa will shortly ask Fingal County Council to raise the airport’s passenger cap from 32 million to 36 million and to ease night-flight limits. Winning local goodwill is essential after residents’ groups mounted legal challenges over noise last year.
![Dublin Airport Uses €2 Million ‘Elevate ’25’ Fund to Win Support for Passenger-Cap Hike]()
For global-mobility programmes, the stakes are high. A higher cap would unlock extra slots on trans-Atlantic and European business routes, potentially lowering fares and reducing seasonal seat shortages that plague inbound assignees every summer. Conversely, a delay could restrict capacity just as Ireland’s FDI sector forecasts a record year for talent inflows.
Elevate ’25 builds on daa’s existing Community Fund, which has channelled €3.3 million into local projects since 2017. The airport says all 40 school initiatives will be completed by September 2026—coinciding with the decision window on the cap and a wider €200 million capital-works programme.
While billed as corporate social responsibility, the timing is strategic: daa will shortly ask Fingal County Council to raise the airport’s passenger cap from 32 million to 36 million and to ease night-flight limits. Winning local goodwill is essential after residents’ groups mounted legal challenges over noise last year.
For global-mobility programmes, the stakes are high. A higher cap would unlock extra slots on trans-Atlantic and European business routes, potentially lowering fares and reducing seasonal seat shortages that plague inbound assignees every summer. Conversely, a delay could restrict capacity just as Ireland’s FDI sector forecasts a record year for talent inflows.
Elevate ’25 builds on daa’s existing Community Fund, which has channelled €3.3 million into local projects since 2017. The airport says all 40 school initiatives will be completed by September 2026—coinciding with the decision window on the cap and a wider €200 million capital-works programme.
