DUBLIN AIRPORT AUTHORITY has this lunchtime confirmed that its chief executive Declan Collier is to step down next year.

Collier’s tenure as Chief Executive was set to expire in April, and he will see out the remainder of that contract before moving to take up the equivalent post at London City Airport.

Collier joined DAA in April 2005 having previously spent his entire career with ExxonMobil, where he had been the chairman and country manager of Esso Ireland Ltd.

“I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity of working at DAA during such an exciting and challenging time in its development and with such committed board members, management and staff,” Collier said in a statement this lunchtime.

“I wish to thank them for their professionalism and support over the past seven years and also the various ministers and departmental staff we have worked with.”

He added that DAA had “a bright future ahead” in spite of the difficult economic environment.

Collier also sits on the board of AIB, having been appointed as a ‘public interest director’ by the government in 2009. He is also the chairman of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

His tenure at DAA saw the construction of the second terminal at Dublin Airport, which turned a profit of €35m last year. DAA’s other operations, at Cork and Shannon, have recorded consistent losses in recent years.