Dublin Airport operator car park purchase blocked
Dublin Airport is the largest on the island of Ireland
- Published
The company which operates Dublin Airport has been blocked from buying a car park over concerns it would lead to higher prices for consumers.
The daa wanted to buy the 6,000 space QuickPark site which is about a mile from the airport.
However, Ireland’s competition watchdog said the deal would give daa an effective monopoly over large car parks in the area.
It said that could lead to higher prices and lower service quality for consumers.
Dublin Airport is the largest on the island of Ireland and is used by many Northern Ireland travellers, particularly for transatlantic flights.
The QuickPark site has been closed since the pandemic and daa said it needed to buy and reopen it to relieve congestion at its other sites.
'A near monopoly'
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said the QuickPark site was, and remains, an attractive and viable business opportunity for an alternative purchaser.
"Competition among businesses is vital to drive value, consumer choice and innovation," said Brian McHugh, CCPC chairperson.
"Our investigation found that this deal would eliminate daa's only significant competitor for public car parking serving Dublin Airport and result in daa essentially having a near monopoly.
"This would be likely to lead to higher prices for consumers because daa would not have to compete to win car parking customers."