THE OPERATORS OF Dublin Airport say they have agreed a deal to purchase a privately operated car park near the airport that closed during the Covid pandemic.

The re-opening of the Quick Park facility would ensure that 6,200 car parking spaces are immediately returned to the market.

However, the Dublin Airport Authority said the deal is subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

In a statement to The Journal, a CCPC spokesperson said its role is to “ensure that a merger or acquisition does not result in a substantial lessening of competition”.

The CCPC spokesperson added: “In the case of this transaction, whilst discussions with the parties originally took place in 2022, the merger was not notified by the parties until Thursday, 23 March, 2023.

“On 4 May, the CCPC issued a formal requirement for further information to the parties. This temporarily suspends the determination deadline, until the required information has been supplied to the CCPC by the parties.

“This information has not yet been supplied to the CCPC.”

However, the CCPC statement added: “The merger review process has not prevented either party from operating a car parking business.”

Speaking to The Journal, DAA spokesperson Graeme McQueen said: “We cannot operate it as we don’t yet own it – our purchase is subject to CCPC approval.”

DAA has warned passengers that all car parks at Dublin Airport are sold out and expected to be full over the coming days.

Passengers without an existing booking have been advised to “consider alternative options for getting to and from the airport”.

McQueen said “passengers should consider using one of the many bus services that serve the airport, taking a taxi or being dropped off by a friend or relative”.

The DAA spokesperson added: “The number of parking spaces available at Dublin Airport is still reduced by 20% due to Quick Park’s 6,200 spaces being out of action, as they were last summer.

“This is increasing the pressure on our own car parks, with passenger numbers now back at pre-Covid levels.

“With demand for our car parks expected to remain high through the summer months, passengers are advised to book their parking as far in advance as possible.”

DAA has also warned that demand for car parking is “extremely high this summer, while supply remains at last year’s level”.

Speaking to RTÉ’s News at One yesterday, McQueen said: “There was a privately operated car park here called Quick Park that closed down pre-Covid and has never reopened.

“That car park is sitting idle at the moment, so while that’s not on the market to consumers, it’s putting a real squeeze on our own car parks. We’re keen to see that car park reopened as soon as possible.

“We’ve made an offer to buy that car park, that offer has been accepted, but the competition authorities are now taking a look at that to make sure they’re happy with the deal.

“So I’d be hopeful that we can get that one over the line and get that car park back into action as soon as possible.”

However, McQueen added that it is “unlikely” that the car park will be open in time for the summer rush.

“If we were to get the green light, we could probably get that open in a couple of weeks, but it’s all dependent on that outcome from the competition authority,” McQueen told RTÉ.