The High Court has extended the suspension of the passenger cap at Dublin Airport until the determination of High Court proceedings on a challenge to the cap taken by Aer Lingus and Ryanair.
Judge Barry O'Donnell noted that applications by airport operator daa have not yet been decided and ruled that the injunction to suspend the cap, which was granted last November, should remain in place.
Any of the parties to the case can apply for the ruling to be amended, varied or discharged, with 72 hours notice in the event of any material change in circumstances.
Dublin Airport currently has a passenger cap of 32 million a year, which was put in place as part of planning permission for the second terminal in 2007.
The airport breached the cap by more than 1 million passengers last year.
Last November, the High Court granted an initial suspension which prevented the Irish Aviation Authority from cutting the number of passenger seats during the March to October summer season.
That suspension has now been extended pending the determination of the challenge taken by the airlines.
This would have been around a million less than the number that were available over summer 2024.
Meanwhile Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has welcomed the fact the Programme for Government contains commitments to end the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
Speaking outside Leinster House after a meeting with Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien this morning, he said: "They're going to scrap the cap but progress is slow".
"Darragh O'Brien said he's going to move legislation within weeks. I'm not sure I necessarily believe him, but lets wait and see what they do," he said.
Mr O'Leary said he wanted to see Government action on the cap and called for legislation on the matter to be passed "within the next month or two".
