Dublin Airport passenger cap row attracts US government attention

The US government has weighed in on the Dublin Airport passenger cap row that refuses to go away. With prospects swirling of legal action, cancelled routes, soaring air fares and more, the US department of transport has backed the airlines in their demand that some kind of regulatory intervention be made to prevent airline slots being drastically reduced next year. Barry O’Halloran has seen the documents.
There is some more bad news for Irish patients. Kevin Lobo, chief executive of Stryker, one of the top three medical device companies in the world, raises the law of unforeseen consequences – this time in terms of how new European regulations are possibly hampering access to medtech innovation. Approval is moving faster in the US now, with possible access issues for European users. Mr Lobo also sits down for an interview with Dominic Coyle.
Mainstream Renewable Power, the Dublin-based green energy developer, has secured grid connection for its floating wind farm off South Korea. As reported by Joe Brennan, the completed project, which has been developed in partnership with Spain’s Ocean Winds, would have the equivalent generational capacity to a fifth of Ireland’s peak demand.
Headline annual inflation dropped to 0.7 per cent in September, the lowest level in more than three years. Ian Curran reports on the latest downward data, driven by the falling cost of energy on international markets. Central Statistics Office numbers indicate household electricity prices have fallen 19.6 per cent in the 12 months to the end of September, while gas prices have fallen 19.1 per cent. US inflation is also down.
Irish budgets, at least by the time the finance minister gets to his feet with details, are becoming a thing of little surprise. Most of measures are leaked in advance, often with only minor titbits left to be discovered. Cliff Taylor has a look through this year’s Finance Bill – coming promptly as it does before the general election – and sees what’s what.
The recent €130 million sale of The Square shopping centre in Tallaght caught a lot of attention and it seems to have done much to affect investment market trends too. Data from estate agent Sherry FitzGerald, as reported by Fiona Keeley, shows the value of transactions in the market rose by 26 per cent in the third quarter, reaching a total of €591 million. With the retail sector remaining dominant, big deals are driving the numbers.
When was the last time you looked through your wallet to pay for something with cash? If it’s been a while, then it will come as no surprise that the smartphone has become the most popular way to pay for goods and services in Ireland. Detailed data on mobile transactions from the Banks and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) is brought to you by Fiona Keeley.
For some time now, cash has not been a particularly Irish problem and because of Covid-19 pandemic spending restrictions, Irish savings have boomed. In his column, John FitzGerald takes a look at what people did with their money during that time and, more importantly, what a cash-rich economy might do with it, if only it could manage things a little better.
The value of sales at Ikea Ireland, whose Dublin store caused great excitement when it opened in 2009, have dropped, reflecting falling revenues across the wider group. Ian Curran reports on the latest numbers at the Swedish furniture giant, with declining revenues internationally being hit by a drive to slash prices.
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