Airline urges US not to impose ‘counterproductive retaliatory measures’
Aer Lingus has made a submission to the US government. Photo: Getty
Aer Lingus has again urged the US Department of Transportation to allow Irish legislative, planning and judicial process in relation to the passenger cap at Dublin Airport to play out before inflicting a curtailment or suspension of flights by Irish airlines between the capital and the United States.
It comes as the Irish Government has just approved plans for legislation that will remove the cap and anticipates that this will be done by the end of the year.
US lobby group Airlines for America (A4A) has asked the US government to consider the suspensions, alleging the cap is damaging the economic interests of American airlines operating or hoping to operate out of Dublin.
“Aer Lingus respectfully requests that the Department deny the complaint and allow the Irish legislative and judicial processes to reach favourable completion,” Aer Lingus has stated in a fresh submission to the US government. “Aer Lingus strenuously opposes the implementation of unwarranted and counterproductive retaliatory measures.”
It is the second submission to the US Department of Transportation by Aer Lingus in less than two weeks.
A4A has claimed that because of the cap, Ireland is in breach of the EU-US Open Skies Agreement – an argument that has been rejected by the Irish Government.
A4A has already urged the US Department of Transportation to curtail or suspend flights by Irish carriers from Ireland to the United States until the Dublin Airport passenger cap is removed. The impact of that would be felt almost exclusively by Aer Lingus.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) had previously sought to impose restrictions on the number of available take-off and landing slots at Dublin Airport to ensure the cap wasn’t breached.
An advocate general of the Court of Justice of the European Union will on Thursday publish an opinion in relation to legal action that has been taken in Ireland by Aer Lingus and Ryanair to challenge those efforts by the IAA to enforce the cap. That opinion will be followed by a ruling some months later.
The Irish Independent reported last month that Aer Lingus told the US Department of Transportation it would have incurred €130m in lost revenue in 2025 and 2026, and further losses thereafter, had the IAA been permitted to impose restrictions to ensure the Dublin Airport cap was adhered to.
A4A has claimed to the US Department of Transportation that the other members of its group planning to inaugurate services to Dublin would be hit by restrictions it says were imposed on JetBlue in 2024.
But Aer Lingus – part of the IAG group that also owns British Airways, Iberia and Vueling – has said the claim is “incorrect and misleading”.
“Slots remain available in the normal course to accommodate new entrants at Dublin Airport subject only to infrastructure constraints,” it has told the US Department of Transportation in its latest response. “There is quite simply no past or ongoing harm to US carriers that would justify approval of the complaint at this time.
“Aer Lingus respectfully urges the Department to deny the complaint to allow adequate time for the Irish legislative, planning, and judicial processes to play out,” it added.
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