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Last week, An Bord Pleanála delivered a ‘draft planning decision’ regarding the night time flights to/from Dublin Airport.
While the decision was applauded by residents and groups including Fingal Organised Residents United Movement (FORUM) and St Margaret’s The Ward Residents (SMTW), many others from the business sector denounced the draft decision as bad news for the growth of Dublin Airport and the economy spinoff for tourism and the commercial sector.
Residents from as far away as Co Meath had strenuously fought the increase in night flights following the opening on the North Runway in 2022.
While ABP ruled that the number of night-time flights from the North Runway must be cut, it also appeared to concur that the cap on night time air movements should be replaced with a noise quota system.
ABP recommended flights between 11pm and 7am should be cut to 13,000 coming and going to/from Dublin Airport per annum. This would result in 36 flights per night, a significant decrease of 20,000 from 36,000+ night-time hour flights last year.
Having reviewed the draft decision and reports, the DAA stated: “There appears to be some significant contradictions. DAA considers this draft decision does not reflect what was intended from this process. This decision would be a backward step that will significantly impact aviation and passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.
“The noise quota was proposed to replace the previous blunt movement cap imposed by the 2007 planning condition. However, it appears from the draft decision that ABP has proposed a new noise quota but also imposed an overall restriction on the number of night flights that would be permitted which would be significantly lower than the 2007 planning condition. This would reduce the nighttime flights by over 60 per cent and have significant implications for passengers and airlines, as well as freight operations.”
Aer Lingus described ABP’s draft decision as “an entirely new and unworkable restriction” which proposes a severely reduced number of nightflights.
“Such a new restriction would fundamentally undermine the modern Noise Quota System which was approved by ANCA to replace the existing aircraft movement restriction. This would also have significant negative implications for the future growth of Dublin Airport and would undermine the €320m investment made in the new North Runway.”
Last week, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU also voiced their concerns on not increasing the passenger cap at Dublin Airport from 32m to 40m per annum. In a letter to Taoiseach Simon Harris, the organisation stated it had learnt of a number of airlines that had postponed or cancelled their plans to begin services to/from Dublin from next year (the letter from ICTU Gen Sec Owen Reidy was featured in the Irish Independent).
“As a consequence, we are seriously concerned about the potential loss of jobs in the sector (and in related sectors such as hospitality that depend on aviation),” he added.
Residents and public representatives have also said the draft ruling must now be scrutinised and assessed.
Cllr Ann Graves (SF for Swords) said: “There will be a 14- week consultation period on the noise conditions, it is very important for residents to engage with this process.
“The annual movement limit of 13,000 nightflights per annum equates to an average of 35.6 flights per night. But they split it 70/30 between summer and winter with 99 flights a night in summer! Throughout the rest of the year, it’s only 14 flights a night”
“An insulation grant is still there but now also offered to anybody exposed to 80 dB Lmax from any aircraft expected at night. No averaging.
“While I welcome the movement limit which justifies the assertion that the DAA has applied for unlimited night flights, these are lengthy documents which need to be reviewed in detail.”
