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The CEO of Ryanair has verbally criticized the Irish Transport Minister, referring to him as a “dimwit.”
Michael O’Leary accused the passenger limit at Dublin Airport of hindering the airline’s expansion.
According to Mr. O’Leary, Eamon Ryan and his Green Party counterpart Catherine Martin, the Minister for Tourism, are incompetent and should resign from their political positions if they do not take action to eliminate the cap.
According to Ryanair, they anticipate an increase in airport traffic at the regional airports in Ireland, specifically Cork, Shannon, and Knock. However, they are unable to expand their operations in Dublin due to a restriction of 32 million passengers per year.
The company announced that the cap will restrict their goal of increasing Irish traffic by 50% by 2030.
The CEO of the airline stated at a press conference on Thursday that Mr. Ryan did not meet the expectations set by the National Aviation Policy, which aimed to improve Ireland’s connectivity, promote aviation growth, and maximize the impact of aviation on the nation’s development.
Mr O’Leary, one of Ireland’s wealthiest businessmen, posed for photos holding cut-outs of the two ministers wearing green dunce caps.
When asked if he is a wealthy entrepreneur who is also committed to protecting the environment, Mr. O’Leary responded by stating that Ryanair is one of the biggest contributors towards tackling climate change.
The airline spokesperson stated that they will be putting 20 billion euro (£17 billion) into new aircraft that can accommodate 20% more passengers while using 20% less fuel.
Mr. Ryan has stated in the past that the airline executive’s remarks have turned to personal attacks.
At a press conference in London, Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary spoke to the media.
When asked on Thursday, Mr O’Leary stated that the recent media stunt is meant to be comical, but some may perceive it as abusive.
He stated that he cannot recall a time when he was verbally aggressive towards someone. He acknowledged that he may have referred to someone as incompetent, but he does not view it as an attack on their character. Rather, he sees it as stating a truthful observation.
I believe it is justified to label him as unintelligent, but if he is easily offended by insults or criticism, I have two recommendations: First, accomplish something productive and remove the restrictions. Second, perhaps politics is not the right path for you if you are unable to handle occasional insults from outspoken individuals like myself.
According to Mr. O’Leary, Ryanair will increase their fleet by 50 Boeing 737 planes this summer. They also plan to launch 80 new routes and expect a total growth in traffic of over 16 million, reaching a total of 200 million.
However, he stated that all of the additional traffic will not be directed towards Dublin Airport because of the limit, but will instead divert to Spain, Italy, Poland, Morocco, Denmark, and Albania.
He publicly expressed disapproval of DAA’s proposal to increase airport charges by 45% by 2026 in comparison to 2022 rates.
The airline argued that the cap is arbitrary and unjustifiable, especially considering the significant investment of 300 million euro (£257 million) made by Dublin Airport to open a new runway capable of accommodating 60 million passengers.
He stated that with a capable Transport Minister dedicated to implementing our National Aviation Policy, they would step in to increase the traffic cap at Dublin Airport to 50 million passengers during the planning process, or even pass a new law to do so.
“Dublin Airport is a national asset. It is our main gateway on and off the island of Ireland. Its growth cannot be left to a few county councillors in Fingal or the usual planning nimbys and loonies who will block or delay this cap for up to four years.”
A plane operated by Ryanair arrives at Dublin Airport.
Mr. O’Leary announced that Ryanair will be investing 4 billion US dollars (equivalent to 3.7 billion euros or £3.2 billion) in Irish aviation by stationing 40 aircraft in the country.
He stated that there are a total of 210 routes available, with 10 being newly added options from the regional airports.
If the restriction is not enforced, the leader of Ryanair declared that the company will add four additional planes in Dublin and introduce 12 fresh flight routes to and from the airport during the upcoming summer season.
He stated, “We planned to increase the frequency of flights on different routes and attract approximately two million more passengers to Dublin compared to last year’s number.”
According to Mr. O’Leary, Dublin Airport is experiencing a decline in air traffic compared to almost every other European country.
Unfortunately, despite Ireland having a Green Transport Minister and a Green Tourism Minister, these individuals have proven to be incompetent at their jobs after four years of unsuccessful attempts.
“If the cap on traffic at Dublin Airport is not removed immediately, then those responsible should resign.”
The decision is clear. These two ministers from the Green party should either improve or step down from their positions.
Mr O’Leary said he wants to hold a face-to-face meeting with Mr Ryan at the Ryanair offices in Swords next Thursday.
The Green Party chose not to provide a statement.
Source: independent.co.uk
