Dublin Airport has 15 new services this winter, however, total seat capacity is down 3%, with 500,000 fewer seats being available compared to last year.
This is the first winter since 2011 that has seen an overall reduction in seat capacity at Dublin Airport. The fall in capacity is due to factors such as some airlines withdrawing their services for the winter and some others reducing the number of flights that they will run to and from Dublin this winter. Additionally, while Ryanair is growing its business at Dublin this winter, the delivery delay to the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft has affected the airline's growth plans.
"Evidence That The Market Is Slowing"
In a statement on Dublin Airport's website, Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison said, "Dublin Airport is in its ninth consecutive year of growth in 2019, however, this reduction in seat capacity for the winter season is clear evidence that the market is slowing. The reduction in capacity may not necessarily result in a corresponding decline in passenger traffic, as airlines may end up selling more seats on each flight."
New Winter Services
Dublin Airport's new services for this winter are Ryanair's recently launched twice weekly service to Billund and a continuation of 14 routes that were launched over the summer months.
The services that have been extended from summer into winter are Aer Lingus's new route to Minneapolis St. Paul, Air Baltic's route to Riga, the Croatia Airlines route to Zagreb, Loganair's route to Carlisle, TAP Air Portugal's route to Lisbon and Ryanair's routes to Bordeaux, Bournemouth, Gothenburg, Kiev, Lublin, Milan Malpensa, Pisa, London Southend and Toulouse.
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
