CAR News Archive

• Group will improve understanding of what is important to passengers at Dublin Airport
• Service quality and investment programme will be examined from passenger perspective
• Group is being established in advance of new price cap being set for Dublin Airport
• Representatives from diverse organisations will help to ensure reasonable interests of airport users are protected

The Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) has launched a new Passenger Advisory Group. The Passenger Advisory Group will improve CAR’s understanding of what is important to passengers at Dublin Airport. The Passenger Advisory Group will assist CAR in examining how passenger priorities are addressed by Dublin Airport, in relation to the service quality offered and the 5-year capital investment programme planned at the airport. The establishment of the group is timely as in 2019 CAR will be setting a price cap for Dublin Airport from 2020 to 2024.

The group has thirteen representatives from organisations that represent the diversity of passengers at Dublin Airport:

• Leisure passengers are represented by the Consumer’s Association of Ireland, the European Consumer Centre and Fáilte Ireland.
• Older passengers are represented by Age Action and younger passengers by the National Youth Council of Ireland.
• People with reduced mobility or disabilities are represented by the National Disability Authority, the Disability Stakeholders Group, the Irish Society for Autism, the National Council for the Blind Ireland, and Alzheimer’s Europe.
• Business passengers are represented by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), Chambers Ireland, and Ireland’s inward investment promotion agency, the IDA.

The Passenger Advisory Group will assist CAR in achieving one of its statutory objectives which is to protect the reasonable interests of current and prospective users of Dublin Airport. It is also in line with the Government’s 2017 National Policy Statement on Airport Charges which states that “the primary purpose of the regulation shall be to protect and advance the best interests of current and future customers who use Dublin Airport”. 

Launching the Passenger Advisory Group, Adrian Corcoran, Director of Economic Regulation at CAR, said ‘we look forward to working with this diverse group of passenger representatives to ensure that our price cap decision for Dublin Airport fully considers the priorities identified by passengers.’

CAR is Ireland’s independent economic aviation regulator. The principal function of CAR is to set the maximum level of airport charges at Dublin Airport, also known as the price cap. Airport charges are levied by Dublin Airport to airlines for the processing of passengers and for use of the airport infrastructure.

In 2018, the price cap per passenger was €9.59. Prices are generally set for a 5-year cycle. In 2019, CAR will set prices for 2020-2024.

In setting the price cap, CAR also sets service quality targets. If Dublin Airport fails to meet these targets it incurs a financial penalty. For example, queue times for security check should not exceed 30 minutes, the infrastructure for processing bags should be available, and passenger satisfaction with nine measures such as cleanliness, helpfulness of staff, ease of wayfinding, etc, should be scored minimum as “good” or “very good” depending on the measure. In 2018, Dublin Airport incurred an estimated revenue loss of €600,000 due to 4 breaches of the maximum security queue time. The Passenger Advisory Group will assist the CAR in establishing the future quality of service measures, targets and penalties for 2020 onwards.

CAR is currently assessing Dublin Airport’s capital investment plans for 2020-2024. Dublin Airport’s draft plan is for €1.7bn of investment, including €1bn in large scale capacity projects. The Passenger Advisory Group will assist CAR in assessing if the passenger facing projects met passenger priorities.

Further information on the Passenger Advisory Group is available hereand details on the 2019 determination of airport charges can be found here.  

ENDS

For media queries please contact Johnny Fallon, johnny@carrcommunications.ie / 085 889 5103