IAA Adds 28 Daily Runway Movements at Dublin Airport for Summer 2027
Why It MattersIncremental slot capacity growth at a major European gateway remains constrained by unresolved legal disputes over passenger caps and night-hour limits, delaying fuller capacity gains.
The Irish Aviation Authority issued its Final Decision on Summer 2027 coordination parameters at Dublin Airport on 5 October 2026, adopting the Coordination Committee's Wishlist 1 runway limits. The decision adds 28 combined daily runway movements — 12 additional arrivals and 13 additional departures — during the season running from 28 March to 30 October 2027, distributed across UTC hours 0600 through 1800, with the 1500 UTC hour gaining the largest single-hour increase of four combined movements and no change at 1100 UTC.
Terminal passenger parameters remain unchanged from Summer 2026, with Terminal 1 retaining limits of 4,625 departing and 3,960 arriving passengers per hour, and Terminal 2 retaining 4,200 departing and 3,400 arriving passengers, plus a 1,450 U.S. preclearance cap. Night-hour runway limits remain frozen at pre-North Runway levels pending resolution of ongoing legal and planning proceedings. The Coordination Committee, which includes Dublin Airport, AirNav Ireland, and airlines operating there, voted 91 percent in favour of Wishlist 1.
To70 modelling using a 907-flight test day found average departure taxi-out under Wishlist 1 with the North Runway open from 0600 UTC would be approximately 13 minutes 20 seconds, compared with 13 minutes 15 seconds under Summer 2026 limits. Dublin Airport's Summer 2026 on-time performance stood at 71 percent for departures and 70 percent for arrivals through July. The 32-million passenger annual cap remains subject to a High Court stay issued on 3 April 2025, which prevents the IAA from applying a seasonal passenger seat capacity limit, so the Summer 2027 parameters include no seasonal PATM seat cap, consistent with Summer 2026.
The 28 extra daily movements represent declared coordination capacity, not confirmed flights. Airlines must still request and receive slot allocations through Airport Coordination Limited before new services can be offered.
