Dublin Airport has lost out to Stansted on plans for a lucrative Ryanair expansion package.
Ryanair has announced its intention to boost passenger traffic from Stansted Airport by 50% to more than 20 million.
It comes as a surprise to some, as CEO Michael O'Leary had threatened to cut flights in Stansted by 9% because of a planned 6% increase in fees at the airport, bought by Manchester Airport Group from Heathrow Ltd in February.
That threat opened talks between Ryanair and Dublin Airport to deliver millions of extra passengers, which would have been a massive boost for Irish tourism.
Last month it emerged that Ryanair had engaged in negotiations with the DAA, but the focus of the low cost airline since returned to Stansted. The airline said it had secured a 10-year deal at Stansted to double the amount of its passengers travelling through the airport in return for lower costs and more efficient facilities.
The agreement will account for up to 25pc of Ryanair's five-year growth plans to 2019.
The deal with the airport's new owners will create an estimated 7,000 jobs at the site, the carrier claimed.
