It now seems that Senator Dominic Hannigan has come out and put pressure on Ryanair to drop its rules requiring travelers between Ireland and the UK to carry a passport. The Labor Senator made the proposal at an emergency meeting of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee. This meeting was called to deal with the fallout from the dispute between public service unions and the government.

Senator Hannigan said that the passport crisis is affecting the lives of thousands of people who are finding that, because of the industrial action, they cannot make their business engagements, family occasions or enjoy their holiday plans. There are now almost 50,000 passport applications backed up in the passport office.

He continued on by saying that Dublin Airport, the country’s biggest, has 1.2 million passengers in February. From a rough analysis of Dublin Airport’s traffic movement, it seems that some 40 percent of its passengers travel to the UK. As Ryanair is a principal carrier, it is reasonable to assume many of them travel with that airline. If Ryanair were to lift its requirements for a passport on flights between Ireland and the UK, it could mean that thousands of people waiting on their passport would be able to travel using legally valid photo I.D., such as a driving license.

Senator Hannigan said that he has written to Ryanair’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary. He said that he is aware that O’Leary may have concerns that a temporary lifting of the passport requirements would set a precedent. However, he urged him to think about the positive goodwill for Ryanair that such an action would generate.

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