8th Mar 2007 11:32
Ryanair Holdings PLC08 March 2007 RYANAIR OPPOSED TO €609M T2 AND DOUBLING PASSENGER CHARGES AT DUBLIN AIRPORT Ryanair, Dublin Airport's largest airline user today (Thursday, 8th March 2007)confirmed that it will continue to oppose the gold plated €609m second terminal(T2) (€760m with the redundancy of the €150m Pier C) proposed by the DAAmonopoly at Dublin Airport - because it costs 10 times more than similar sizedfacilities being provided at other airports in Europe and will lead to passengercharges doubling at Dublin Airport. The DAA monopoly should not be allowed to waste €609m building a 15m passengerfacility when Frankfurt Hahn can build a similar 15m passenger terminal for just€60m - less than one tenth the cost of the proposed T2 Taj Mahal at DublinAirport. As a result of this 10 times more expensive building at Dublin andother wasteful spending, the Aviation Regulator has indicated that passengerfees at Dublin will double from a current €5.50 to around €11.00. There would be no need for any increase in passenger charges at Dublin Airportif the DAA built a low cost efficient terminal, which is what its major airlineusers have already confirmed that they want to see developed. At a time when AerLingus, for example, is trying to reduce unit costs, the DAA is proposing todouble them at Dublin Airport. If a competing second terminal was being developed by Ryanair, the McEvaddy's,or any of the other 13 parties who offered to do so, then there would be noincrease in passenger charges. In fact competition between an independentterminal and the DAA would reduce these high passenger charges and improve theawful facilities at Dublin Airport. Speaking today Ryanair, Chief Executive, Michael O'Leary said: "It is vital that the mess which the DAA have created at Cork Airport is not repeated at Dublin. In Cork, the DAA wasted €200m building a new terminal for just 3m passengers. This was 10 times more than the €20m which Cork's terminal should have cost. Now Cork Airport is stuck with a €200m debt, which it can never repay. "Cork airport's terminal proves yet again that the DAA monopoly cannot be trusted to build cost efficient terminal facilities. It also proves that the Aviation Regulator is hopelessly unable to control the DAA monopoly. He's just a poodle, who rolls over every time the DAA wants to put up charges. "Ryanair supports, and will happily pay for low cost, efficient facilities. We have already offered to build and pay for an independent second terminal at Dublin Airport. The fact that a 15m passenger terminal can be built in Frankfurt for €60m, proves that we are right and we will continue to oppose the DAA spending over ten times this amount - €609m - on a similar 15m passenger facility. We must prevent the DAA repeating its Cork Airport mess at Dublin. We must prevent the DAA monopoly (and the weak Aviation Regulator) from doubling charges for all consumers using Dublin Airport, when, if an efficient terminal was built or built by someone other than the DAA monopoly, then tourism traffic would continue to grow, but with lower airport charges and low fares for all Irish consumers and visitors". Ends. Thursday, 8th March 2007 For reference: Peter Sherrard - Ryanair Pauline McAlester - Murray ConsultantsTel: +353-1-8121228 Tel: +353-1-4980300 The directors of Ryanair accept responsibility for the information contained inthis announcement, save that the only responsibility accepted by the directorsof Ryanair in respect of the information contained in this announcement relatingto Aer Lingus and the Aer Lingus Group, which has been compiled from publishedsources, has been to ensure that such information has been correctly and fairlyreproduced or presented (and no steps have been taken by the directors ofRyanair to verify this information). To the best of the knowledge and belief ofthe directors of Ryanair (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure that suchis the case), the information contained in this announcement for which theyaccept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anythinglikely to affect the import of such information. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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