EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot earlier this month told airlines and airport operators that congestion charges at European airports were being considered to help ease the number of peak-time take-offs and landings, spreading traffic throughout the day in Europe's increasingly crowded skies. In addition, the new fees would in theory help pay for new runways and terminal buildings as air traffic surges across the European Union.

Last week the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) received planning permission for a �?�150m runway that the authority says needs to be built by 2012 to cope with extra demand. It is also beginning construction of a massive second terminal project that will cost in the region of �?�200m.

The DAA plans to spend roughly �?�1.2bn over the next 10 years to accommodate an expected rise in passenger traffic to 38million by 2025, from 18.4million last year.

Interference from the Commission, in airport charging and its proposed pan-European airport regulator, is drawing fire from airlines and airport representative bodies.

Low-cost carriers would be worst hit as the effect would be disproportional on their ticket prices.

Ryanair's head of regulatory affairs and board member of the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA), Jim Callaghan, said last week that both the airline and the ELFAA are opposed to the European Commission stepping in to regulate airport charges - a role that in Ireland is currently undertaken by the Commission for Aviation Regulation.

"It's extremely worrying, " he said, claiming that if such a measure is implemented, people will travel less by air.

"Regulation is no substitute for competition."

There are fears that if airport charges are set by Brussels, ticket prices could rise, as any additional airport charges passed on to airlines will eventually find their way to passengers' wallets.

Aer Arann chief executive Pádraig O'Céidigh accused the Commission of hypocrisy.

"On the one hand it talks about open competition, but additional airport charges and the proposed congestion charges would affect the cross-border movement of people."

A spokesman for the European arm of Airports Council International said last week that the organisation opposed any calls for mandatory regulation of charges.

"It is not in the interest of airports to overcharge their customers, " he said. "It's a symbiotic relationship. We will use commercial revenues to grow infrastructure and the main thing is to be a viable business, " he added.

"We support some form of regulation, but we don't support EU moves that will try to implement a uniform set of Soviet-style regulations that are not going to benefit anybody."