Regulators may not decide on a bid to reopen 6,100 car-parking spaces at Dublin Airport until March, close to the start of next year’s summer travel season, it has emerged.
The airport operator, State company DAA, wants to buy the nearby closed Quick Park site but the deal is subject to scrutiny by mergers regulator the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
The commission has confirmed that its proposed full investigation of the DAA bid would conclude “no later than March 2024″.
People familiar with the deal suggested that the prospect of a three-month wait for a decision could spark concern among DAA management.
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The company originally offered to buy the car park in March this year, meaning it will have waited a year for regulators to decide on the transaction.
DAA said it was “very keen to see a speedy resolution to the process” following its voluntary notification of the deal to the CCPC in March.
The company noted that it was fully committed to keeping the site as a car park to serve Dublin Airport’s passengers’ needs.
Kenny Jacobs, the company’s chief executive, said earlier this year that it could have the Quick Park facility up and running within two weeks were it to get ownership.
While it urges passengers to avoid travelling to the airport by private car if possible, DAA acknowledges that this remains the most common form of transport that customers use.
The CCPC said it had set out its preliminary concerns about how the proposed deal could reduce competition in car parking around Dublin Airport.
“The parties now have the right to respond in writing to the assessment,” the commission said. “The parties can also request to make oral submissions and get access to the CCPC’s file.”
DAA said it was preparing a detailed response that would address the commission’s assessment in full to aid the regulator in reaching a final decision.
“Our primary objective is to have more car-parking spaces available to the public,” the company added.
Developer Gerry Gannon’s Gannon Homes is selling the property on the Swords Road, 1km from Dublin Airport. The facility has 6,122 car-parking spaces, according to the CCPC, and occupies a 42-acre site. It accounted for 22 per cent of long-stay car parking at Dublin Airport when it was operational, according to the sale brochure for the car park.
A commission statement calculated that Dublin Airport had more than 22,000 long- and short-term car-parking spaces.
The commission will publish the outcome of its investigation once it is complete. The regulator said it would not comment further on the issue at this time.
