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Ryanair using passenger cap row to deflect from fare increases, minister claims

Minister of State Ossian Smyth Photo: Gareth Chaney

Caroline O'Doherty, Environment Correspondent

Green Party minister of state Ossian Smyth has accused Ryanair of using the row over the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to deflect from price increases that demolished its image as a low fares airline.

Mr Smyth said the airline was using showmanship and trickery while price comparisons this week showed them to be dearer than competitors.

Mr Smyth also said the airline had been provocative and insulting in its criticisms of Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and had called for Mr Ryan to intervene in the planning process to get the cap lifted when that was not legally possible.

“A lot of this debate emerges with the provocative and noisy campaign from Ryan,” he told a Seanad discussion on the increase in private jet traffic at Dublin Airport.

“When I look at this kind of showmanship from Ryanair, you’ve got to wonder why are they coming out with this kind of statement?

“Why are they putting out these provocative and insulting statements rather than addressing the substantial issues?

“I really think what they are doing is that old trick of, look at the left hand and don’t look at what the right hand is doing.

“The truth is that Ryanair present themselves as a low fares airline but on the other hand, their fares went up 24pc last year.

“When I look at what the cost of a flight is to London or Paris this week on the 15th to17th, I find that Ryanair is €100 more expensive than its nearest rival for a flight to London.

“It’s also more expensive to fly to Paris with Ryanair this week than it is with other airlines.”

Dublin Airport has submitted a planning application seeking to raise the annual passenger cap from 32m to 40m.

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary has been the most vocal in calling for the cap to be lifted and has run a heavily critical social media campaign lampooning Mr Ryan.

Mr Smyth made his comments after Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan asked that private jet flights be limited at Dublin Airport as they were using up some of the passenger cap while generating far more carbon emissions per passenger than commercial flights.

Mr Smyth said private jets included defence force and medical flights but he would get a breakdown of those used for “leisure and luxury” which he said were “an obscenity”.