Fingal County Council has raised “frustrations” with the Department of Transport about prolonged planning tensions with the DAA, as the state-owned company struggles to advance separate proposals to raise the 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
The cap is among the business issues confronting the DAA after the boardroom rift that led to weekend talks on an exit package for chief executive Kenny Jacobs.
With no end in sight to planning delays on proposals to lift the cap, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has signalled he would bring proposals to the Government to do away with the restriction.
The Minister’s move comes against the backdrop of Fingal County Council chief executive AnnMarie Farrelly raising concerns about DAA planning files with his department.
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“The conversations would have been about the DAA as an organisation rather than individuals within the DAA,” a local authority source said.
“The CEO would have routine engagements with the department about developments at Dublin Airport.
“The issues that the council would have with the planning applications are well-documented and the chief executive would have expressed those frustrations to the department and would also have advocated for a joint stakeholder approach to the development of the airport.”
Mr O’Brien’s spokeswoman said he had no comment on Fingal council’s engagements with the department about DAA.
The Irish Times reported on Saturday how Mr Jacobs would receive a settlement of about €1 million under proposals that would see him leave his role less than three years into his seven-year contract.
On RTÉ radio on Monday, the Minister said discussions aimed at dealing with the divisions between the DAA board and Mr Jacobs were continuing.
He hoped the issues could be worked through and end in an agreed resolution, but did not comment on whether Mr Jacobs would leave his post.
Still, Mr O’Brien said he would have to sign off on any exit package.
“We are not there yet,” the Minister said. “When and if anything comes to me, I will assess it at that stage.”
The DAA submitted a 7,000-page infrastructure plan to Fingal council in December 2023 to increase Dublin Airport capacity to 40 million passengers. However, the council has indicated the process has stalled.
Fingal council sought additional information on 85 points from DAA in February last year, giving the DAA six months to reply. DAA replied after nine months, saying it was granted an extension by the local authority.
Council noise regulators separately sought DAA information for a noise assessment on the infrastructure plan in March last year, but DAA has yet to respond.
However, DAA said it was awaiting a related decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála that did not issue until last July. When the commission’s decision issued, DAA promised it would work provide the relevant information “as quickly as possible” so Fingal council could proceed to approving the application by the end of the year.
The DAA separately submitted proposals to raise the cap to 36 million on a no-build basis, but the application was deemed invalid by Fingal council.
That move by the local authority prompted DAA to accuse the council of inconsistency.
