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A passenger cap which would affect flights in and out of Dublin Airport next summer has been paused by a High Court ruling.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) had restricted the number of passenger seats to 25.2 million between late March and October.

The pause comes just days before the summer slots are due to be allocated.

Aer Lingus, Ryanair and a number of American carriers brought the application over the IAA’s decision.

They claimed they would suffer significant harm as the seat cap would see them deprived of some of their “use them or lose them” take-off and landing slots.

The IAA put the limit in place to try to ensure that the airport remained within its 32 million passengers-a-year cap, put in place in 2007 as a condition of the of planning permission for Terminal Two.

In September, Ryanair said Leinster Rugby would have to fly to some away games from Belfast due to the cap.

The Dublin-based team plans to fly from Belfast International Airport for four games later in the season unless the situation is resolved.

A separate judicial review taken by Aer Lingus, Ryanair and airport operator DAA over the IAA's decision to also cap winter passenger seats at 14.4 million will be heard in December.

In a written ruling, Mr Justice O'Donnell said the potential consequences of a potential breach of the planning conditions does not outweigh the highly probable and very serious adverse consequences of failing to grant a stay in these proceedings.

"Those consequences extend beyond the immediate serious effects on the applicants, but include serious disruption for the public and potential harmful effects for the broader economy," he said.