The chief executive of daa has said that Dublin Airport is interested in acquiring three parcels of private land between the runways at the airport, totalling 260 acres.
Kenny Jacobs said the airport operator has made a "sensible bid" based on a realistic professional valuation.
"We don't make crazy bids and we are not going to make a crazy bid," he said.
He added that the land is only worth a certain amount to Dublin Airport.
It is understood that daa’s bid was around €70m.
"If they have got three times that, good luck to them," he remarked, referring to weekend reports that the sellers had received several bids in excess of €200m for the land.
"Are we still interested, yes we are," he said.
"But we are interested at a realistic value."
"We don’t need that land to build a third terminal because we don’t think we need a third terminal, and if we need a third terminal, it is going to be beside T1 and T2 today."
However, Mr Jacobs added that the land could be used for taxiways and other additional facilities.
"So we are staying where we are at," he stated.
"If they want to come back and talk to us, because other bids fall through that may happen, but that is up to them. Time will tell."
He also confirmed nobody has contacted daa about it to see what can be done with it.
Mr Jacobs also said he is hopeful that the daa will get clearance from the competition regulator to buy the former QuickPark car park facility near the airport.
He said it would take pressure off parking at the airport next summer, as it would add 6,200 new parking spaces to the 23,000 the airport already has.
"It would be good to have for the travelling public," he said.
He added that the drama that had been portrayed in some media of parking chaos this summer didn’t materialise.
Mr Jacobs was speaking as daa published a new independent report, commissioned by it, which forecasts passenger numbers will grow by 3.7% each year between 2025 and 2030.
Passenger numbers are expected to reach 39.6 million by 2030, 46.6 million by 2040 and 55 million by 2055.
Currently the capacity of the two existing terminals at the airport is capped at 32 million a year, but the airport operator daa claims increasing demand will require that to rise.
Dublin Airport is to submit a planning application later this year for developments which would enable the airport to grow to 40 million passengers a year.
"There is a clear opportunity to grow Dublin Airport further, providing more jobs and more economic growth for Ireland in the process, but only if the planning and regulatory environment is able to keep pace," said daa chief executive Kenny Jacobs.
"If Dublin Airport is not able to accommodate these opportunities for growth, it will be other major city airports - the same airports that Dublin Airport currently competes with on a daily basis for air connectivity - that will benefit instead," Mr Jacobs stated.
The research, carried out by InterVistas, found that if the cap were to remain at 32 million, it would lead to the economy forgoing a further 17,800 jobs and €1.5 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2030.
It also estimated that by 2055, maintenance of the cap will have led to 17,800 jobs which could have been created here being lost to other countries and €4.4 billion in GVA.
"This would have huge implications for Ireland's tourism sector and business community, with trade and visitor numbers being constrained," said Mr Jacobs.
"Ireland's ability to maximise these growth opportunities, in terms of additional jobs and economic activity, would go a long way to enabling Ireland to accommodate the strong population growth that it is expecting over the decades to come," he added.
The report found that Dublin Airport currently contributes €9.6 billion both directly and indirectly to the economy, equivalent to 2.3%.
19,900 people are directly employed at the facility, with 11,700 indirectly employed, while an additional 13,300 jobs can be linked back to it through employee spending.
It also estimated that 71,200 more jobs are sustained in the wider economy by it, through tourism, trade, investment and productivity.
"The Government supports the sustainable development of Dublin Airport as a hub airport, competing with the UK and other European airports, with the necessary capacity to connect Ireland to key existing and emerging global markets," said Minister of State at the Department of Transport Jack Chambers.
"Daa's Capital Investment Programme 2020+ will enhance the passenger journey at Dublin Airport as well as providing additional capacity to cater for demand arising from, inter alia, population growth in the region and nationally," Mr Chambers said.
"This will include the delivery of new piers and aircraft stands and facilitate a number of infrastructure projects that will enable daa to deliver on its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050," he added.
Asked Mr Chambers about whether growing Dublin Airport's capacity would run counter to the Government's carbon reduction plans, the minister said the growth of aviation would have to be done in a more sustainable way.
He said the Government is as ambitious about ensuring that as it is about continuing to ensure Ireland has international connectivity for passengers, tourists and business.
"It is not a case of polarising opinion and selecting one or the other," he said.
"We are an island nation and we have to continue to have that connectivity but also drive stronger sustainability policies."
He added that he would be establishing a taskforce around the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, as Ireland could be a world leader on that.
Ibec has welcomed the publication of today's report from the daa.
"As Ireland's economy and society continues to grow, it is important that the daa's capacity to sustainably grow Dublin Airport is done without unnecessary disruption or unwarranted restrictions," said Neil Walker, Head of Infrastructure, Energy and Environment and Transport at Ibec.
"As a trade-oriented island located on the periphery of Europe, our aviation transport infrastructure is of the utmost importance in maintaining global links.
"Therefore, it plays a pivotal role in our economic well-being across various industries and in the tourism sector," he added.
However, some residents in north Dublin have called for the resignation of the Chairman and directors of daa over ongoing breaches of the planning permission granted for the second runway.
Ballyboughal Community Council said the planning rules had been put in place to safeguard the residential amenity and public health of resident in the area.
However, the breaches have raised serious concerns,
