DALLAS — Ryanair (FR) has announced the addition of 50,000 extra winter seats on its flights between Belfast International Airport (BFS) and London Stansted Aiport (STN) from two to six daily flights starting December 20. 

This expansion is in response to Dublin Airport's (DUB) ongoing passenger cap. The airport has already hit its annual limit of 32 million passengers, restricting the addition of extra flights during the busy holiday season. FR CEO Michael O’Leary has warned that the inability to add flights at DUB will lead to sharply rising airfares. 

The passenger cap at DUB was introduced in 2007 as a condition for the planning approval of Terminal 2, primarily due to concerns about the local road network's capacity to handle increased traffic. 

However, FR argues that the situation has changed, with a significant rise in the number of passengers using public transport since the cap was implemented.

Despite pressure from the aviation sector, irishnews.com cites Transport Minister Eamon Ryan stating that he cannot legally interfere with the independent planning process. Dublin Airport operator DAA, led by CEO Kenny Jacobs, has intensified lobbying efforts to raise the cap to 40 million passengers annually. 

Jacobs warned that maintaining the current cap could cost the Irish tourism economy €500 million next year and jeopardize up to 1,000 aviation jobs.

The DAA has submitted a new planning application to lift the cap, but approval could take several years. Meanwhile, environmentalists and some residents oppose any increase in passenger numbers.