logo
US airlines consider calling on Trump to weigh into Dublin Airport cap row

US airlines consider calling on Trump to weigh into Dublin Airport cap row

Keith Glatz, the senior vice president, international affairs, for Airlines for America, insisted the cap is in direct violation of the Open Skies agreement between the United States and the EU that permits extensive access rights to each jurisdiction for carriers from either region.
Dublin Airport's passenger cap limits passenger numbers to 32 million a year. It's a planning condition attached in 2007 to the construction of Terminal 2. The government pledged in its election manifesto to remove the cap as soon as possible. However, it remains in place.
Airlines for America represents major US carriers, such as Delta, United, American Airlines and JetBlue, which also serve Dublin.
Mr Glatz said Airlines for America has so far not raised the cap issue directly with the US government.
He added that Donald Trump has been clear that he wants to 'right-size' the US relationship with global governments where US businesses are being treated unfairly or governments are not complying with international obligations.
'It would be a shame for this issue to get co-opted into this larger dispute,' he said. 'It's eminently solvable. I just don't see any rationale for a cap on flights between the US and Dublin.'
'We've been trying over the last year to make sure this issue never got onto the agenda on the White House,' said Mr Glatz, adding that the lobby group has been trying to take every step short of asking the US government to intervene.
'Once I make that request, then it's out of our hands. The Irish government can solve this before it becomes a larger trade dispute,' he added. 'We're still optimistic that that's what's going to happen and that's our goal.'
'Any time the Irish government fails to comply with its international obligations under any treaty, aviation or otherwise, it endangers Irish business interests abroad.'
Mr Glatz declined to speculate as to what specific measures the US government could take if the issue is not satisfactorily addressed.
However, it's possible that the US government could take reciprocal measures that might impact Aer Lingus, for example. Any such measures could hamper its route network from Dublin to the United States, where it now serves almost 20 cities.
'The time to act is now,' said Mr Glatz. 'This doesn't need to turn into a dispute that would rise to the level of some of the others that you've seen between the US and EU that are currently ongoing.'
The Irish government has touted potential legislation to deal with the cap. However, that could take months – even until next year, before it's law.
'I think it's in the very interest of this [Irish] government to act as soon as possible to get this legislation sorted,' said Mr Glatz. 'I am extremely optimistic that when the Irish government puts its mind to doing what is right for the Irish citizenry, we're not talking about a year, we're probably taking about a couple of months.'
Mr Glatz said Airlines for America is also raising the cap issue with US media this week.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hike in personal injury awards called off and why technology needs the human touch
Hike in personal injury awards called off and why technology needs the human touch

Irish Times

time34 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Hike in personal injury awards called off and why technology needs the human touch

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has bowed to pressure on a plan by the Judicial Council to hike personal injury award guidelines by almost 17 per cent, confirming that he will not ask the Oireachtas to rubber stamp the judiciary's proposed tweak to payouts. However, as Joe Brennan reports, the Minister warned that the decision opens up the risk that judges could start making increased awards outside of the guidelines while the Personal Injuries Resolution Board remains bound by the current guidelines. Irish customers of Betfair and Paddy Power have been notified in recent days of a data breach at the Flutter-owned brands, which has impacted as many as 800,000 users in Ireland and Britain. Hugh Dooley has the details. Planners could rule shortly on night flights at Dublin Airport, ending almost a year of speculation over a crunch issue for airlines there. As Barry O'Halloran reports, State planning board, An Coimisiún Pleanála, last September issued a draft ruling limiting night-time flights to 13,000 a-year, fewer than 36 a-night. This year's Wimbledon may have been notable for the fact that it has replaced line judges with computer technology, but as Ciara O'Brien writes, sometimes more tech isn't the answer to all our problems. READ MORE Cantillon analyses unions' CIE pension warning , while also assessing the changing fiscal stance taken by the German goverment. It also looks at that the National Competitiveness Council is really worried about. In Innovators to Watch, Olive Keogh meets an Irish tech firm aiming to cut last minute chemotherapy cancellations by as much as 25 per cent. Technology explores the terrifying world of artificial intelligence's growing role in elections globally. Ageing working populations will dampen productivity growth in the world's biggest economies as fertility rates have 'plummeted' in recent generations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned. Hugh Dooley has the story. The Government will change the law to enhance the enforcement powers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in dealing with supermarket retailers, the Dáil has heard. Marie O'Halloran reports. Drone delivery company Manna expects to have regulatory approval for new technology that would cut noise pollution from its aircraft by 40 per cent within months. As Colin Gleeson reports, the company has drawn criticism from members of the Oireachtas and the public alike due to noise complaints after it set up a facility near Blanchardstown Centre last year, where its base is surrounded by popular fast-food chains and cafes. Irish mortgage interest rates dropped to their lowest levels in two years in May, the Central Bank of Ireland said on Wednesday, but remained higher than the euro zone average. Ian Curran has the story. DCC, the Irish conglomerate seeking to narrow its focus to energy, may end up securing just £633 million (€733.4 million) for its technology division, according to Goodbody Stockbrokers. Joe has the story. Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has granted planning for a seven storey , 71 unit, apartment development in Sandyford despite concerns expressed by a local parish priest, local residents and businesses over the scheme. Gordon Deegan has read the decision. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.

Can Ursula von der Leyen's Commission be toppled?
Can Ursula von der Leyen's Commission be toppled?

RTÉ News​

timean hour ago

  • RTÉ News​

Can Ursula von der Leyen's Commission be toppled?

For the first time in more than a decade, the European Commission President and her entire College of Commissioners are facing a vote of confidence. European politicians will have their say on it this afternoon in Strasbourg. The "motion of censure" was launched by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, from the ultra-conservative party AUR, over the so-called "Pfizergate" – the text messages EU President Ursula von der Leyen exchanged with a vaccine chief at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The texts haven't been made public despite the ruling of an EU court that the Commission was wrong to deny access to those messages. In their motion, the group of 75 MEPs accused her of acting without "transparency and accountability". President von der Leyen called those accusations a "lie" when she descended on the Parliament on Monday, accompanied by all 26 Commissioners. During what proved to be an explosive debate, Ms von der Leyen described those behind the motion as "extremists" and "Putin's puppets", who are "trying to drive a wedge between the pro-democratic and pro-European forces" in the parliament. She defended her government's response to the pandemic, saying that the procurement of vaccines was transparent and "all 27 Member States decided to buy their vaccines on their own will." "There were no secrets, no hidden clauses, no obligation to buy for member states," she told the packed chamber. The EU leader also celebrated the "development of the vaccine in record time" and the "Europe of solidarity" that "the extremists hate." The vote on the motion is destined to fall far short of the two-thirds majority needed to force out Ms von der Leyen's Commission as centrist groups that hold a majority in the parliament have said they will not support it. However, it exposed mounting discontent among Ms von der Leyen's allies in the centrist coalition. Europe's liberals, socialists and democrats and the greens used the opportunity to vent their frustration with the EU leadership. The Commission's move last month to withdraw its proposed law to fight corporate greenwashing after a request from conservative lawmakers, drew a lot of criticism from EPP's coalition partners. The Renew Group leader Valérie Hayer accused Ms von der Leyen of seeking "alliances of convenience with the far right". In her fiery speech, President of the group of Socialists and Democrats Iratxe García Pérez, asked the president whether she wants "to govern with those who want to destroy Europe or those who fight every day to build it?" Among Irish MEPs, there's hardly any support for the initiators of the motion but also enough criticism for Ms von der Leyen's governance. The members of the European People's Party grouping were asked by its leadership to unanimously reject it. As part of it, the Fine Gael delegation said it will be rejecting the motion tabled "by far-right members of the European Parliament in a bid to destabilise the EU for political gain." Barry Andrews, Ireland's MEP in the Renew Group representing Fianna Fáil, called those behind the vote "fascists and neo-fascists", adding that he has "confidence in von der Leyen's management of the pandemic". He will, however, abstain because of the president's "utter silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza". Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, also from the Renew Group, will be voting against the motion to avoid "the collapse of the Union's leadership … at a critical moment," while adding that Ms von der Leyen must face "political scrutiny" over her "failing to hold Israel to account for its war crimes in Gaza". Aodhan O'Riordan, Labour Party MEP in the group of Socialists and Democrats, called the motion a "fascist stunt," though he didn't vote for the President to be re-elected last year and will abstain. Sinn Féin MEP's Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion said they will be voting to censure Ursula von der Leyen for "refusing to pass sanctions or suspend trade with Israel" and for "militarising the EU."

The Indo Daily: 40 years of low fares and high drama – How Ryanair changed Europe one controversy at a time
The Indo Daily: 40 years of low fares and high drama – How Ryanair changed Europe one controversy at a time

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

The Indo Daily: 40 years of low fares and high drama – How Ryanair changed Europe one controversy at a time

Ryanair is a name synonymous with cheap travel, an abrasive CEO and too many controversies to count on one hand. By the early 1990s, Ryanair was operating 15 routes to cities including Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and London. It had also established regional services to Cork, Galway, Shannon and Knock airports. Under the leadership of Michael O'Leary, who moved from being the airline's financial controller to CEO in 1994, Ryanair continued its 'no-frills' model by standardising its fleet to a single aircraft type (the Boeing 737) and focussing its services to secondary airports near large cities with lower landing fees. O'Leary's new regime introduced charges for everything from checked bags to seat selection and onboard refreshments. By the early 2000s, Ryanair had grown into one of Europe's largest and most profitable airlines, carrying tens of millions of passengers annually. O'Leary has also never been shy of putting his head above the parapet. In one publicity stunt in 2010, he turned up alongside a hearse at Dublin Airport, mourning the 'death of Irish tourism' due to the opening of Terminal 2. In 2009, O'Leary suggested in an interview that Ryanair was considering charging passengers to use the toilet on flights, an idea that never came to pass. Today on The Indo Daily, Kevin Doyle is joined by John Mulligan, Senior Business Journalist with the Irish Independent, to look back at 40 years of low fares and high drama at one of Ireland's most divisive companies.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store