Dublin Airport parking slots are booking out faster than in previous years as management struggles to find sufficient capacity in advance of the busy summer holiday season.
About 6,200 spaces at the nearby Quick Park facility, which Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) was unsuccessful in acquiring, remain out of use with no indication as yet of an alternative buyer resuming operations.
Its sale to DAA was blocked by the competition watchdog and the airport is prohibited from developing its own expansion under the Fingal Development Plan. Efforts to secure a derogation last year, given the squeeze on available parking, was rejected by the Department of Transport.
“It’s going to be another busy summer, we are already seeing some days in June, July, August that are already selling out,” said DAA spokesman Graeme McQueen.
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There are about 23,000 spaces at the country’s largest airport but some July dates are very close to selling out, potentially making it difficult for people to book longer holiday slots. DAA has committed to keeping prices at the 2023 level but has flagged in-house research showing more Irish residents intend to travel this summer than last.
The message being pushed again is for passengers to book well in advance or to seek out other forms of transport. There are more bus routes this summer, about 1,000 departures a day, while 300 extra taxi permits have also been issued, an increase of about 10 per cent.
However, while a sale of Quick Park and a resumption of its parking service would bring immediate relief, airport management are otherwise running out of options.
The Fingal Development Plan, DAA says, prevents it from opening up lands on the campus to further parking, or from renting other space. An objective of the plan sets out a need to “control the supply of car parking at the airport so as to maximise as far as is practical the use of public transport and sustainable transport modes” such as walking and cycling by workers and passengers.
“We will do our best to make sure that everybody who wants to park at Dublin Airport can do so. But we are restricted – we’ve got what we’ve got and we can’t magic up any more,” Mr McQueen said.
“We will, and are, exhausting all avenues to see if we can add car parking space but that’s very difficult because there is not a political appetite or an appetite in Fingal County Council to allow that to happen.”
Nor is there any indication the Quick Park facility has been purchased by a third party; DAA has not received any requests for bus connections to the facility as would be required.
The lack of parking spaces could prompt further tensions this summer. Last year, Ryanair accused DAA of deliberate mismanagement “so that they can pressure the CCPC [Competition and Consumer Protection Commission] to award them monopoly control over the Quick Park car park”.
That claim was rejected by DAA and in March the CCPC announced it would block the sale “due to concerns that the deal would lead to higher prices and lower service quality for consumers”.
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