Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026
Public bill · Government · Presented
The bill would give the Transport Minister power to lift or change the passenger limit at Dublin Airport if it is judged to be harming the economy, air links or Ireland’s reputation, while still requiring environmental checks first. It lets daa ask for that change, requires An Coimisiún Pleanála to assess possible impacts on the environment and protected habitats, and allows public submissions before any order is made. It also blocks future local planning bodies from reimposing a passenger cap, while keeping noise-related flight limits and related planning protections separate.
Formal long title
Bill entitled an Act to confer a power on the Minister for Transport, in the public interest and having regard to the strategic importance of Dublin Airport in supporting international connectivity, trade, tourism, investment and the movement of persons and cargo to, from and within the State, to make an order to amend or revoke a planning condition relating to the number of passengers that may use Dublin Airport for the purpose of travelling by air to or from another airport; to enable daa, public limited company, to make an application to the Minister for Transport for that purpose; to provide, before the making of such an order, for environmental assessments to be carried out by An Coimisiún Pleanála for the purposes of Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy and Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora; to limit, having regard to the aforementioned importance of Dublin Airport, the planning conditions that may be imposed on development at that Airport and, for that purpose, to amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Planning and Development Act 2024; to amend the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019; to provide an exemption from the application of section 15 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015; and to provide for related matters.
Last updated 22 July 2026
- Minister for Transport Primary
- First StageDáil
- Second StageDáil
- Committee StageDáil
- Report StageDáil
- Fifth StageDáil
- Second StageSeanad
- Committee StageSeanad
- Report StageSeanad
- Fifth StageSeanad
- EnactedEnacted
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Order for Committee Stage Seanad
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages Seanad
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages Dáil
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Second Stage Dáil
- Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee Dáil