New scheme submitted for third Dublin Airport terminal – realistic or flight of fancy? Part one

There are few examples around the world where a publicly operated airport allows a private operator to build and manage a terminal onsite - and especially one sat between two runways. Airlines operate terminals in the US, but that is usually under concession and not the same thing.

Where it does happen, the track record is not high on successful implementation and cooperation.

But that is a conceptual proposal from an Irish company which is founded by part-owners of the land on which such an edifice would be built at Dublin Airport, a 30 million + passenger airport for the Irish capital and a gateway to Europe from the west, which is operated by a state company.

There are numerous complicating factors here, as this CAPA - Centre for Aviation report spells out.

Paramount among them are capacity caps; state and airport ambitions and whether they are up to delivering them; the real motives and desire of the putative private sector developer; the influence of the local authority; the public's abhorrence of interminable queues; where the money is coming from; and the attitude of the principal airlines.

If all the various schemes, public and private, come to fruition then they would transform Dublin into an airport to rival any in Europe.

Or - it could all be just a complete 'nothingburger'.

This is part one of a two-part report.