The International Day for the Ban on Night Flights at Airports is taking place in countries such as Australia, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands.
The demonstration in Dublin will be held from 5pm on Friday at the junction of the R108 and Kilreesk Road near the North Runway at Dublin Airport.
Dr Niamh Maher, who lives in St Margaret’s with her husband and two young children, says the family is suffering because of aircraft noise.
Following complaints about night flights, a planning enforcement notice by Fingal County Council was issued to Dublin Airport in July 2023. This restricted the number of night flights to 65 between 11pm and 7am.
The High Court subsequently issued a stay on the enforcement order, and Ms Maher says not much has changed since.
“Night flights shouldn’t be occurring because of the significant impact they can have on anybody that’s been exposed to those levels of noise, even when they’re asleep,” she said.
“Night flights affect your health, particularly cardiovascular health, and if someone already has pre-existing conditions, it can make it worse.”
However, airport operator daa said there are currently “no night time flights” on North Runway between 11pm and 7am, other than in exceptional circumstances. The number of night time flights on South Runway depends on a variety of factors.
Daa says it has proposed managing night time noise through an annual noise quota, which aligns with international best practice and encourages the incentivisation of newer, lower emission and lower noise aircraft at night.
North Dublin resident Dr Niamh Maher
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the annual average night exposure to noise should not exceed 40 decibels, corresponding to the sound from a quiet street in a residential area.
Persons exposed to higher levels over the year can suffer from mild health effects such as sleep disturbances and insomnia.
Ms Maher claims the current noise levels are over “55 decibels” which is impacting 4,500 people in the area surrounding Dublin Airport.
“It’s not just a ‘not in my backyard’ mentality… It’s affecting so many people, you can’t turn a blind eye to it,” she added.
She said that the demonstration on Friday is an indicator that this isn’t just a local issue, but that it’s happening in many major airports globally.
A report from the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA) last month revealed a sharp rise in the number of people near Dublin Airport exposed to high noise levels at night.
Those experiencing noise above 55 decibels between 11pm and 7am increased from 1,533 in 2019 to 4,465 in 2023.
Despite this, the number of people classified as “highly sleep disturbed” dropped by 31pc compared to 2019, while those “highly annoyed” by the noise fell by 38pc.
In response to queries, daa said it is “very aware” that airport operations have an impact on local communities and “works hard” to minimise this.
“Our job is to operate a major international airport and ensure Ireland has the connectivity it needs with the world,” a daa spokesperson said.
“We have to strike a balance between this and the needs of those living close to the airport. That’s always going to be difficult, but we are constantly working to minimise the impact and listen to community feedback.
“We welcome ANCA’s review of our progress against the long-term objectives they’ve set and are encouraged to see significant reductions in the number of people categorised as ‘highly annoyed’ (-38.3pc) and ‘highly sleep disturbed’ (-31pc) in 2023 vs 2019.
“There is further progress to be made in some categories where the number of people impacted has increased vs 2019.
“However, much of this can be attributed to population growth in overflown areas during this time. Also, new houses built in these areas are required to include insulation measures, which ANCA’s review doesn’t take account of.
“The review also notes that some mitigation measures proposed by daa and approved by ANCA in 2022 have not been implemented yet due to an appeal to the planning authorities.
“Daa is eager to progress with these measures including providing insulation to more than 600 eligible homes as soon as there is an outcome from the ABP process (known as the North Runway Relevant Action).
“Daa will now take time to review the full contents and conclusions of the report,” the spokesperson added.
