There's plenty of room to add another 1500' or so, enough to take the runway up to 10,000', which would address most capacity limitations.
I'm trying to source other performance information for various widebody types and when I do, I will be preparing a submission. There is something seriously wrong, when a government can, on the one hand ...
- produce a document like the Asia Strategy Report, with very laudable and ambitious aims for growth,
- speak of an integrated air transport policy
- encourage Aer Lingus to expand to Asia, and
- recognise Dublin Airport as part of the state's critical infrastructure, but ...
on the other hand, do absolutely nothing while the DAA limits this growth. Don't forget that the DAA has spending plans of up to EUR1b over the next decade, yet there is no provision for a runway extension (they're content to keep the runway length as it is until 2012). The govt is content to say "your airport, you do as you please". It's even more irresponsible, given that - at some stage over the next seven years, there's likely to be an economic slowdown. This makes it all the more important, now, to ensure that there is nothing within our aviation policies which restricts growth. The current runway length is something which, quite clearly, will obstruct growth. It needs to be challenged, head on.