Dublin Airport has said it will not appeal a decision by the competition watchdog that it cannot purchase a nearby 6,200 space car park.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) recently prevented the sale of the former Quick Park complex on the Swords Road in Santry to the airport operator company, believing it would leave DAA with a near monopoly on car parking there.
In a statement on Friday, DAA said it would not be appealing the ruling.
It said it made the decision following “careful review” of the CCPC’s judgment and “in the interests of getting the facility’s 6,200 spaces back on the market for passengers in time for summer”.
The development comes amid mounting pressure on parking at the country’s main airport. Those intending on flying abroad for this Easter bank holiday weekend had already been warned that available space was expected to be sold out.
Stressing the importance of parking on Friday, DAA said: “There is an urgent need for more parking spaces at Dublin Airport and DAA now calls on the owners of the QuickPark site and any other potential bidders to act speedily to get the facility back open for consumers and to alleviate the significant strain that’s on Dublin Airport’s car parks – all of which are fully sold out this Easter weekend.”
The company added that while it “sees merit in an appeal” of the CCPC decision, “the expectation is that any appeals process would take years, and our passengers cannot wait that long for these spaces to come on the market”.
Previous bidders are poised to re-enter the race to buy the car park after the decision sparked fears that holidaymakers would once again face a squeeze on car spaces at the country’s biggest airport this summer.
