Statement on the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026

Presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport

Our statement primarily addresses Head 12 of the General Scheme of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026, which seeks to disapply Section 15 of the Climate Act. We consider this to be a flawed and legally questionable approach. Transport infrastructure must be delivered in compliance with climate law and we consider that legislation that expressly weakens relevant obligations, as this Scheme proposes, is not an asset, it is a liability.

Read our statement

We urge the Committee to reject Head 12 and pause the progression of the Bill in order to undertake an updated analysis of emissions associated with removing the
passenger cap. Such an assessment should also identify credible measures to ensure alignment with the Climate Act.