The FINANCIAL — Ryanair, Ireland’s favourite airline today (Sun 8th March) renewed its call for the Government to scrap its suicidal €10 travel tax and sack the useless Aviation Regulator, Cathal Guiomard, as the collapse in traffic at Dublin Airport continued in February.
The Government owned DAA monopoly last week (on Friday last) released figures showing that in February its traffic was 1.4 million, some 200,000 (12%) less than the 1.6 million passengers who used Dublin Airport in February 2008.
This traffic collapse at Dublin Airport contrasts with Ryanair’s strong growth across Europe in February. Ryanair believes this traffic and tourism decline is the inevitable consequence of the DAA monopoly’s decision to further increase its already high charges in 2009, and the repeated failure of the useless Aviation Regulator, Cathal Guiomard to protect passengers from these excessive unjustified cost increases.
Ryanair renewed its call for immediate 30% cuts in the DAA’s high charges to reflect the much lower costs now on offer at most European airports. Ryanair also called for the closure of the Aviation Regulator’s office, were Cathal Guiomard is just another failed regulator who Ryanair believes makes Patrick Neary look like Elliot Ness.
Ryanair called on the Government to scrap its flat rate €10 travel tax, which is due to be introduced on 1st April next. This tax will further devastate traffic and tourism at the Irish airports, and will result in major cuts to Ryanair’s flights, schedules and traffic at Cork and Shannon airports.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:
“This continuing traffic collapse at Dublin Airport shows that Irish tourism cannot afford the high costs being charged by the Government owned DAA monopoly, or the useless and ineffective regulation being presided over by Cathal Guiomard, the Patrick Neary of aviation.
“With Ireland’s tourism industry in freefall, this Government must now scrap the €10 travel tax. These funds can be raised in other ways such as getting rid of the unnecessary and unjustified €5bn Dublin Airport Metro.
“Ryanair has repeatedly offered to reverse its flight and traffic cuts at Dublin and Shannon airports if this travel tax is scrapped and we call again on the Government to scrap this stupid and insane tax. Ireland cannot promote Irish tourism by taxing tourists.”
