As the deputy is aware, daa holds statutory responsibility for the management, operation and development of Dublin Airport, including the delivery of the North Runway project.
As previously stated, I have been informed that daa is satisfied that the new runway will facilitate any modern long range aircraft expected to operate from Dublin Airport.
Specifically, I understand that daa has considered the future aircraft fleet mix that may operate from Dublin Airport in concluding an appropriate length for the North Runway; the new runway will be 3,110m in length, and the existing main runway is 2,637m. A key component in arriving at appropriate runway length is to consider the Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of the aircraft fleet which may operate from the airport. Once a runway can accommodate the MTOW of an aircraft, a longer runway will not facilitate a greater range; this is down to the aircraft itself.
In the case of the A330, studies show that North runway at Dublin Airport could accommodate an A330-200 at its Maximum Take Off Weight of 238 tonnes. It is a matter for airlines how they wish to distribute this weight between passengers, cargo and fuel in order to determine how far the aircraft might fly.
