DAA urged to build second runway ahead of schedule

A second runway for Dublin airport could help it become a leading global gateway for air travel, according to a new report.

The study suggests that Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) could also steal a march on rivals by building the runaway ahead of other possible upgrades, such as Heathrow or Gatwick.

DAA confirmed plans for an additional runway, parallel to its existing one earlier this month. The price of the project is expected to total €320 million, rising to €370 million if a new high air traffic control tower is also included. The British government meanwhile has been mulling over plans to build a third runway at Heathrow.

“Incremental delays in London support the idea of Dublin, from 2020, becoming an effective overflow hub for excess interlining capacity chasing scarce infrastructure, at least until a London runway is delivered,” the report says.

The Goodbody report also says the existing single runway in Dublin is already operating at capacity with movement constrained during peak demand periods.

The report says the most compelling rationale for building a second runway is that it would allow Dublin airport to exploit its status as one of the most attractive gateways from Europe to North America. It also says Dublin could potentialy become a major hub for air travel to and from Asia.

Dublin has seen so-called “interlining” traffic double in recent years, but at 4 per cent it remains well below other airports such as Frankfurt, which has 55 per cent transfer traffic.

"There is a compelling interlining opportunity for Dublin Airport, but growth is not exclusively a function of rising Irish air travel demand," said Goodbody airlines analyst Jack Diskin.