u/-eir-

>Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg, an international expert on delivering megaprojects, said the Government needs to prioritise planning the delivery of new schemes, rather than rushing to make them shovel-ready. > >He said just because the country has the finances to support works does not mean construction should be rushed. > >Prof Flyvbjerg also said introducing a system where any future cost overruns are split between the State and contractors should help to avoid massive budget overspends in future.

>The carrier has hedged 80% of its summer fuel at $668 per metric ton, citing “economic uncertainty” caused by the Middle East conflict and the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The 20% of unhedged fuel has “spiked” due to the volatility of prices. Sorahan said the airline is “not planning for cancelations.” > >He told CNBC that he wouldn’t be surprised in the winter to see some European airlines “getting themselves into trouble,” in a similar scenario that occurred with Spirit Airlines in the U.S. The airline collapsed after the jet fuel crisis added to its longstanding issues, including heavy debt loads and a surge in costs.

>Airlines for America (A4A) has warned that a delay to removing the cap at Dublin Airport risks creating further uncertainty at a “critical moment” for carriers. >Last week, the Business Post revealed that transport minister Darragh O’Brien is to seek cabinet approval within weeks for legislation aimed at scrapping Dublin Airport’s controversial passenger cap. >It comes as an Oireachtas report warned the move risks triggering major legal, environmental and community backlash unless significantly strengthened.

>The MetroLink rail project is the other mammoth task on his desk. He understands that public confidence in the State’s ability to handle major infrastructure projects has been knocked, acknowledging government overspending and the litany of missed deadlines at the National Children’s Hospital. > >“It’s not going to be another children’s hospital, OK?” he says of MetroLink. “It’s not going to be like that. I’m going to make sure it’s not. We’re going to make sure the costs won’t spiral.” > >The shovels are due to break ground before the end of the year, and he won’t be drawn on the cost until a report comes back in June — but he says: “Whatever it is, it’s going to be worth it.”

>Ireland doesn’t lack plans. It doesn’t lack reports or strategies or consultations or very well-designed maps of how things could be. What it seems to lack is the confidence to just do it – to build at speed, at scale and to assume that a city like Dublin might actually need that level of ambition.

>“The number of outsized bags is falling from, I don’t know, 0.0001 [per cent] to 0.00001,” O’Leary said. “As the numbers fall, I think we will up the rate of commission, from €2.50 to €3.50 or so. Everybody must know, do not show up with a bag that doesn’t fit in the sizer because you will be charged.”

>"The minister will now be bringing the bill to Government this month for agreement to publish," the spokesperson added. > >"Enacting that legislation, to ensure that connectivity can be maintained and to facilitate further sustainable growth at the airport, will be completed this year. > >"Throughout this process, the minister has engaged and met with key stakeholders and airlines, including Ryanair and Aer Lingus, and thanks them for their contributions."

>DAA recently set out plans to expand Ireland’s biggest airport between next year and 2031 allowing it to handle around 45 million passengers a year, from 36.4 million in 2025. >However, O’Leary branded the €5.6 billion bill for the work a “waste” and “regulatory gaming of the worst kind”, claiming it would double what Dublin charges airlines for passengers to €40 per person.

>“I have corresponded with the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to outline the steps being taken to address the passenger cap and I have met via video conference with the Deputy Secretary of Transportation,” revealed Minister O’Brien in a parliamentary question asked by Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy. “I have committed to updating Secretary Duffy as work on this priority legislation progresses. My officials have also engaged with their counterparts in the US DoT and State Department to update them on the actions being taken by government to address the passenger cap.” A bill to give O’Brien the power to amend or revoke the passenger cap is undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny by the committee chaired by Murphy and its report is due to be published this week.

>Airlines will have to pass on higher fuel costs to passengers but fears of flight cancellations are overplayed, according to Aer Lingus chief executive, Lynne Embleton.

The Irish carrier says it has enough fuel for the summer but is reviewing its costs after losses almost doubled to €103 million in the first three months of this year, partly driven by higher oil prices.

>Mr O'Driscoll has been serving as interim CEO of the Shannon Airport Group since September 2025, following the departure of former CEO Mary Considine. > >Prior to stepping into the interim role, he served as Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer, bringing extensive leadership experience across airport operations, commercial development, strategic planning and organisational governance. > >Mr O'Driscoll first joined the group in 2014 as managing director of Shannon Commercial Enterprises, the group’s commercial property division.