Dublin Airport will review its fees after a watchdog upholds a complaint from Ryanair.

The Irish Aviation Authority has ordered Dublin Airport to examine how it set its passenger fees in response to a Ryanair complaint.

The DAA, which is in charge of Dublin Airport, released its proposed airport fees for the period of March 2024 to March 2025 in September 2023.

Ryanair lodged a formal complaint with the Irish Aviation Authority in December of last year. The airline claimed that Dublin Airport had failed to fulfil its responsibilities under an EU directive that governs the fundamental aspects of airport fees throughout the EU. Airports that handle more than five million passengers annually are subject to these regulations.

Dublin Airport's planned set of airport fees for the 2024–2025 term was in line with the total maximum charge per passenger that the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) had previously established.

While Ryanair, whose group chief executive is Michael O'Leary, complained to the IAA about the prior determination of overall charges at Dublin Airport, the IAA took into consideration relevant complaints about charges for nitrogen oxide, runway movement, transfer passengers, and low-emission aircraft discounts.

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In a letter sent to Dublin Airport in October of last year, Ryanair expressed disapproval of the suggested hikes in airport fees as well as what it claimed to be inadequate and ambiguous consultation materials.

Dublin Airport retorted that it had supplied "extensive consultation materials to support the airport charges process" and that the aeronautical costs it set had always tracked changes in annual price caps.

Dublin Airport continued to confer with airlines regarding the proposed fees throughout October, and in late November, it released a decision paper.

In a letter dated December 4, Ryanair claimed that Dublin Airport had not responded to its letters dated October 6 and October 27, and that numerous questions and opinions from the consultation process had been left out of the decision paper's "Summary of Consultation Responses."

According to the airline, there was a purported "deliberate decision to ignore Ryanair's questions and comments," which violates applicable legislation' standards for transparency.

After Ryanair filed a formal complaint with the IAA, the agency requested information from Dublin Airport to support its investigation into the airline's complaint.

Ryanair stated that the Dublin Airport's proposed passenger transfer fee discriminates against point-to-point carriers like them since they cross-subsidize transfer passengers.

Additionally, it claimed that the proposed runway movement fee favoured larger aircraft discriminatorily.

Ryanair refuted the nitrogen oxide accusation as well. It said that there is no justification for this charge because there is no proof that Dublin Airport has a nitrogen oxide issue. Given the trade-offs with other emissions, Ryanair argues that a nitrogen oxide fee will discourage ecologically friendly aircraft from using Dublin Airport.

The IAA has upheld the Ryanair objections in a draft ruling.

According to the authority, it has not been "sufficiently demonstrated" that the four specific issues that Ryanair has complained about and that the IAA has taken into consideration are non-discriminatory and justified as complying with the relevant legislation.


In its draft ruling, the IAA stated that Dublin Airport should "reassess these charging modulations/differentiations, with a view to addressing the various issues of transparency, relevance, and objectivity."

It was suggested, although, that there would be no retroactive action taken or charges modified in the meantime, especially with regard to the rates that are presently in place for the summer of 2024. It has suggested that revised fees take effect for the forthcoming winter season.

We have reached out to the DAA, under the leadership of CEO Kenny Jacobs.