Call for Dublin Airport Terminal 3 solution

The owners of D.A. Terminal 3 Limited say the latest passenger figures for Dublin Airport demonstrate the “urgent need” for additional airport capacity and a fresh examination of alternative expansion options.

With passenger numbers reaching 29 million in the first nine months of 2026 and full year traffic expected to exceed 37.5 million passengers, the owners said the figures underline the continued growth in demand for air travel through Dublin Airport.

A spokesman for Desmond and Ulick McEvaddy said the latest figures show that passenger growth continues despite ongoing constraints and reinforce the strategic importance of planning now for the next phase of airport development.

“The latest passenger numbers clearly demonstrate that demand for Dublin Airport continues to grow.

“The challenge facing Ireland is not whether additional capacity will be required, but how that capacity can be delivered in the most effective and economical way for passengers, airlines and the wider economy.”

The owners noted that daa first sought increases in airport charges for 40 million passenger capacity seven years ago, saying it was needed by around 2024.

Nearly three years after applying for planning permission for those facilities, it has yet to obtain it.

The IAA expects demand to pass 40 million in 2028 and reach 44.5 million by 2031.

daa itself told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that by the time its infrastructure is complete, about 3 million passengers a year will not have been provided for.¹

In the owners’ view, the planned extra capacity will not be fully operational until well into the 2030s, by which time it will already be insufficient, with passenger demand fast approaching 45-50 million.

Meanwhile, daa’s latest investment plans favour closing the crosswind runway and building a new terminal on the eastern campus to replace Terminal 1, rather than developing to the west.

A spokesman for D.A. Terminal 3 said: “In our view, it makes no sense for daa to spend an estimated €5.7 billion to increase capacity from the 37.5 million passengers we expect to see this year to approximately 40-45 million passengers when we can double overall airport capacity to approximately 70 million passengers, including a new motorway connection from the M2 to Terminal 3, for an estimated €3.5 billion.

“We have an opportunity to future-proof Dublin Airport’s terminal capacity and ensure this critical national infrastructure hub does not stagnate as passenger demand continues to grow.”

The owners also point to the site’s direct access to the M2 motorway corridor, avoiding many of the congestion challenges associated with the M1 approach to the airport.

They noted that the current airport campus relies heavily on a single primary motorway access route and said future planning should consider network resilience, traffic management and operational continuity in the event of incidents, accidents or major disruption affecting existing airport access routes.

They said any long term expansion strategy should assess the benefits of additional access infrastructure and transport options as part of a modern airport development programme.

The owners noted the broader transport infrastructure debate has moved in a positive direction with the progression of MetroLink, a development that will be transformational for Dublin Airport and its future role as Ireland’s primary international gateway.

They said MetroLink reflects the type of long-term strategic thinking needed for national infrastructure projects and that the daa, Government and other stakeholders should demonstrate a similar ambition in planning for the airport’s next phase of development, ensuring capacity, access and resilience keep pace with Ireland’s future economic and population growth.

“The latest passenger figures should encourage a broader conversation about the most effective way to deliver the airport capacity Ireland will require over the coming decades.”