The Transport Minister has said he will bring legislation to Cabinet to lift the passenger cap at Dublin Airport before the budget, writes Adam Van Eekeren.

The 32m passenger cap was introduced as part of the planning per - mission for Terminal 2 in 2007, when 27m passengers came through the airport – but that number is projected to rise to 36m this year.

The cap has long been opposed by the airport’s operator, the Dublin Airport Authority, as well as airlines including Ryanair and Aer Lingus and numerous US carriers.

The Programme for Government pledged to address the issue. Yesterday, Minister Darragh O’Brien said: "I don’t think anyone listening in would actually agree with a situation where we simply stop future growth of Dublin Airport."

The Fianna Fáil TD revealed that he "had a series of meetings over the course of the last number of months, particularly with our legal advisers".

He further revealed that he hopes to bring legislation forward to the Cabinet "hopefully before the budget" which could see the passenger cap at Dublin Airport removed.

He stressed the importance of increasing traffic through the capital’s airport, calling it "a critical economic driver for the country, not just for the region".

He went on to claim that any attempts to stifle the growth of Dublin Airport would have "a direct economic impact" on the country.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, O’Brien referred to the passenger cap as "a legacy issue".

He said: "The physical infrastructure around the airport that existed back in 2007 when this planning permission was granted and that condition was put in place, has changed greatly and will change further".

The minister has said he would be in favour of up to 60m passengers passing through the airport each year if it was done on a "sustainable basis".

Photo: Dublin Airport Terminal 1. (Pic: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie)