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Michael Cawley, Deputy CEO of Ryanair Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

With the Air Travel Tax gone, Ryanair commits to a million more passengers

The airline says it wants to meet Irish airport bosses to discus growing its traffic in and out of Ireland by at least one million passengers a year from April 2014.

Updated 5.09 PM

RYANAIR SAYS IT will “respond positively” to the Government’s scrapping of the travel tax by increasing passengers at Irish airports by one milllion next year.

The airline announced today that it has invited representatives from five Irish airports to meetings this week to discuss its plan to grow traffic by at least one million passengers a year from April 2014.

The €3 travel tax applied to passengers departing from Irish airports but yesterday it was announced that it will be abolished with effect from 1 April 2014.

Ryanair says that traffic has been down at Irish airports by 30.5 million passengers since the travel tax was introduced in January 2009 but believes that “much of this traffic can now be recovered”.

Deputy CEO Micheal Cawley said today that the repeal of the travel tax restores Ireland’s competitiveness and attractiveness overseas:

“This travel tax, originally €10, in 2009 caused Irish air travel and tourism to suffer precipitous losses in recent years,” he said.

Ryanair had long been an apposed to the tax and at one point claimed that it was in fact illegal.

The airline claims that the one million additional passengers will include 500,000 visitors, more than the increase seen as a result of The Gathering in 2013.

Ryanair said that it expects the traffic growth to be across both new routes and existing ones, the details of which are yet to be decided.

“Subject to final negotiation on new routes and additional frequencies on existing routes with the individual airports, we hope to be in a position to announce details of new route and traffic growth plans at the Irish airports over the coming weeks,” said Cawley.

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has welcomed welcomes Ryanair’s commitment, saying they are “fully supportive of any airline that plans to grow in the Irish market”.

A DAA spokesman this afternoon said that they have already seen an extra one million passengers in Dublin airport over the past 12 months with growth also expected at Cork Airport next year.

Read: Dublin-bound Ryanair flight makes emergency landing in Italy >

Read: Think you can make Ryanair friendlier? Come this way… >

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    Mute Keith Wizzy
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    Nov 13th 2013, 11:30 PM

    Fair fooks to all involved. Ashamed to say I’d not known it was on.

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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Nov 14th 2013, 12:10 AM

    When is the next one?

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    Mute Bobby
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    Nov 13th 2013, 11:42 PM

    What a great city

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    Mute Gerard McCarthy
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    Nov 14th 2013, 1:18 AM

    Was there only one photographer in dublin, couldn’t have got a pic outside Dublin no? Typical!! Not to put dampener on it as was great cause fair play to those who ran, just a gentle reminder to media life exists outside of DUBLIN!!!!

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    Mute Derek Gannon
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    Nov 14th 2013, 1:25 AM

    G’wan the chip on the shoulder. . . .

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    Mute Gerard McCarthy
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    Nov 14th 2013, 1:52 AM

    Feckin dubs ha!!

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    Mute Cian Hulm
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    Nov 14th 2013, 2:03 AM

    Does it really?

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    Mute Derek Gannon
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    Nov 14th 2013, 2:03 AM

    Ah sure we’re all friends. . . I’m sure there will be photos of the cork run somewhere tomorrow.all the journalists on the score.ie are too busy trying to come up with more Roy keane articles for us then to worry about the night run anywhere else!!

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    Mute Dominique Lavin
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    Nov 13th 2013, 11:55 PM

    Well done to everyone involved in this including my amazing brother in law Gary Seery all the running for such good causes :)

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    Mute Mark Doran
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    Nov 14th 2013, 5:57 AM

    Ran the race last night, had a great time :) thanks to all the organisers & volunteers for their free time & support. Well Done to all all over the Country & further a field.

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    Mute Fecky Din
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    Nov 13th 2013, 11:54 PM

    Saw one of these in Vienna a couple weeks ago..really cool idea

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    Mute peter gaffney
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    Nov 14th 2013, 5:58 AM

    Should be ran in the phoniex park.

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    Mute Daniel Dunne
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    Nov 14th 2013, 4:32 PM

    Except for the lack of street lighting away from Chesterfield Avenue, it’s a nicer run but not practical for a run in the dark.

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    Mute Caroline Farrell
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    Nov 14th 2013, 2:46 PM

    I ran in Kilkenny with some friends.lovely night for it

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    Mute peter gaffney
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    Nov 15th 2013, 1:36 AM

    The reason i was suggesting it should be ran in the park is for a number of obvious reasons.
    Free traffic congestion
    Free parking where ever you want.
    Free lighting (generatated lighting).
    Don’t get me wrong i agree with the purpose of the run for charities and all that and i salute everybody that run’s the race…..just think its more of a suitable place.

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