Dublin Airport’s 32 million a-year passenger limit has become an “international joke” says global air travel industry chief, Irishman Willie Walsh. Irish and US airlines are taking legal action over a 32 million a-year passenger cap imposed on the country’s biggest airport by planners in 2007 to control road traffic in the area.

Walsh said he speaks to international airlines who want to serve the Irish market and want to serve it through Dublin not Shannon or Cork,

IATA head Willie Walsh criticizes Dublin Airport's passenger cap as it inhibits airline growth. Set in 2007, the limit dents Ireland's economy, as airlines urge government intervention to raise capacity.

Dublin Airport’s passenger cap is now “a joke” among international airlines, according to former Aer Lingus chief executive Willie Walsh.He claims the Government needs to intervene on the issue, and that passengers will face higher air fares to fly in and out of Dublin while the cap remains in place and demand remains strong.