Mohan Sinha
16 Sep 2026

DUBLIN, Ireland: Dublin Airport could use up its entire "fair share" carbon budget by 2034 if it continues to expand, according to a new report on major European airports.

The report comes as the Government moves to remove restrictions on passenger growth at Dublin. It says continued expansion could increase the airport's annual carbon emissions by more than 65 percent.

The report estimates Dublin's remaining carbon allocation at 27 million tons of CO2 through 2050. However, under the examined growth path, the airport would use the entire amount by 2034. Emissions would then be more than two and a half times the level considered compatible with 1.7 degrees Celsius of warming.

The report warns that other sectors, including agriculture, industry and heating, could have to make deeper cuts to compensate.

Daa rejected the idea that the airport has a specific carbon budget. "While the report is dealing with hypotheticals, Dublin Airport is focused on the realities of meeting the actual Public Sector climate targets that have been set out for us in the National Climate Action Plan — targets which we are on track to meet, as independently verified by the SEAI," the operator said.

It added that aviation emissions are controlled through international systems, including the EU Emissions Trading System and CORSIA, rather than being set directly by airports.

The study was commissioned by environmental group Opportunity Green and prepared by Transport & Environment (T&E), a European clean transport research group. It examined 20 major airports in 10 countries.

The report found that all 20 airports would exceed their allocated carbon budgets under current expansion plans, even after accounting for more efficient aircraft and greater use of sustainable aviation fuels. It said that expanding runways and terminals could offset the climate benefits of cleaner technology.

Dublin was among the worst-performing airports in the study. Opportunity Green said the Government was removing one of the few limits on aviation growth as the airport approached the limits of its estimated carbon allocation.

Legislation now allows the Transport Minister to raise or remove Dublin's annual passenger limit of 32 million. It would also prevent a similar limit being imposed through the planning system.

Dublin Airport handled about 36.4 million passengers last year, already above the original 32 million planning limit set by An Bord Pleanála in 2007 during the development of Terminal 2. A separate planning application seeks capacity for 40 million passengers a year, while the two runways could potentially handle up to 60 million.

At 40 million passengers, the report estimates about four million tons of additional CO2 compared with existing capacity. If passenger numbers reached 40 million by 2030 and rose to 60 million by 2050, additional emissions could reach about 14 million tons, nearly half of Ireland's total annual CO2 emissions in 2024.

Across Europe, expansion at the 20 airports could add an estimated 225 million tons of CO2 to emissions beyond those linked to existing capacity by 2050.