The Irish Government has taken the first legislative step toward abolishing the long-standing annual passenger cap at Dublin Airport. On 10 February 2026, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien secured Cabinet approval to publish the General Scheme of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, which will give the minister – rather than local planners – the power to remove the 32-million-passenger ceiling that has constrained the capital’s gateway since 2007. The draft Bill will now be fast-tracked by parliamentary drafters, with O’Brien insisting the cap will be gone before the end of 2026. (gov.ie)
Successive governments accepted the restriction as a price for past planning permissions, but airlines and business groups have argued that capacity limits no longer make environmental sense because modern aircraft are quieter and cleaner. Carrier reaction was swift: Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary welcomed the decision but criticised the 2026 timeline as “politically slow”, warning that continued delays could prompt U.S. authorities to clamp down on future Irish growth if transatlantic slots cannot be guaranteed. (thesun.ie)
For passengers and businesses eager to capitalise on the extra flights this legislation would unleash, ensuring travel documents are in order remains crucial. VisaHQ can streamline the process by checking Irish entry requirements and securing visas or electronic authorisations for Ireland—and for onward destinations—through its easy online platform: https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ This support can help companies and travellers make the most of Dublin’s expanded connectivity with minimal administrative hassle.
![Government moves to lift Dublin Airport’s 32-million passenger cap]()
From a global-mobility perspective, lifting the cap promises immediate benefits for multinationals with Irish operations. Additional runway slots will allow airlines to restore frequencies cut since 2024 and to launch new long-haul services Ireland’s tech and life-sciences sectors have been requesting—including long-mooted routes to Seattle, Bengaluru and Santiago. More direct flights reduce journey times, carbon footprints and duty-of-care risks for travelling staff.
However, the move also raises practical questions for employers. The Bill will require the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) to publish an Environment & Noise Mitigation Plan before any traffic increase is authorised; companies located near flight paths should monitor consultation timelines to protect workplace sound-level compliance. Construction-phase congestion is another concern: employers already facing staff-commuting challenges on the M50 and Port Tunnel corridors may need to revisit mobility budgets and remote-work contingencies.
If enacted on schedule, the legislation could propel Dublin Airport’s throughput toward 40 million passengers by 2030, aligning Ireland’s hub capacity with peer cities such as Copenhagen and Zurich. For corporate mobility managers, the message is to start forecasting higher seat availability—and possibly lower fares—in 2027 travel budgets while preparing mitigation plans for the short-term construction and environmental-impact reviews that will precede the growth surge.
Successive governments accepted the restriction as a price for past planning permissions, but airlines and business groups have argued that capacity limits no longer make environmental sense because modern aircraft are quieter and cleaner. Carrier reaction was swift: Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary welcomed the decision but criticised the 2026 timeline as “politically slow”, warning that continued delays could prompt U.S. authorities to clamp down on future Irish growth if transatlantic slots cannot be guaranteed. (thesun.ie)
For passengers and businesses eager to capitalise on the extra flights this legislation would unleash, ensuring travel documents are in order remains crucial. VisaHQ can streamline the process by checking Irish entry requirements and securing visas or electronic authorisations for Ireland—and for onward destinations—through its easy online platform: https://www.visahq.com/ireland/ This support can help companies and travellers make the most of Dublin’s expanded connectivity with minimal administrative hassle.
From a global-mobility perspective, lifting the cap promises immediate benefits for multinationals with Irish operations. Additional runway slots will allow airlines to restore frequencies cut since 2024 and to launch new long-haul services Ireland’s tech and life-sciences sectors have been requesting—including long-mooted routes to Seattle, Bengaluru and Santiago. More direct flights reduce journey times, carbon footprints and duty-of-care risks for travelling staff.
However, the move also raises practical questions for employers. The Bill will require the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) to publish an Environment & Noise Mitigation Plan before any traffic increase is authorised; companies located near flight paths should monitor consultation timelines to protect workplace sound-level compliance. Construction-phase congestion is another concern: employers already facing staff-commuting challenges on the M50 and Port Tunnel corridors may need to revisit mobility budgets and remote-work contingencies.
If enacted on schedule, the legislation could propel Dublin Airport’s throughput toward 40 million passengers by 2030, aligning Ireland’s hub capacity with peer cities such as Copenhagen and Zurich. For corporate mobility managers, the message is to start forecasting higher seat availability—and possibly lower fares—in 2027 travel budgets while preparing mitigation plans for the short-term construction and environmental-impact reviews that will precede the growth surge.
