Irish travellers to Spain face flight uncertainty after major EU court ruling

A major European decision on Thursday, 15 October has raised uncertainty for Irish travellers and holidaymakers heading to Spain. The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that Dublin Airport's annual passenger limit of 32 million must be taken into account when allocating flight slots to airlines such as Ryanair and Aer Lingus.

The ruling does not currently indicate that any flights will be cancelled, but it could limit airlines' take-off and landing slots, potentially affecting future route options for those travelling between Ireland and Spain. The dispute revolves around passenger limits imposed in the planning permission for the airport's terminals, which was granted in 2007 and 2008.

The airport has already exceeded this limit, handling around 36.4 million passengers in 2025. The Irish government is considering lifting the restriction, while the ruling also allows for the possibility of increasing the airport's capacity to 40 million passengers per year. Despite these changes, there are no confirmed reductions in flights between Dublin and Spain as a direct result of the judgment.