An Bord Pleanala has published a draft decision regarding the north runway.
Nighttime flights to and from Dublin Airport could be dramatically axed.
An Bord Pleanala has published a draft decision regarding the north runway.
The planning body wants a limit of 13,000 flights between 11pm and 7am a year with over 9-thousand of those during the summer.
That uneven split would see summer nighttime flights at a rate of 99 per day, with the rest of the year restricted to roughly 14 night flights a day.
Last year there were 33-thousand nighttime flights at around 90 per day – far exceeding the 65 allowed.
Local rep Ann Graves says residents affected by aircraft noise don’t trust those limitations will be adhered to;
“I haven’t read it in in detail as of yet. It’s a large document, so it’s going to take a lot of of reading to get through.
“It looks as though the the numbers are quite good, and it is a reduction, despite the fact summer numbers are going to be higher than than winter and but if you could trust the DAA to implement what they’re being asked to implement, that would be one thing.
“At the moment, the nighttime flights are supposed to be around 65, they’re almost at double that, so it’s a matter, it’s a matter of trust.
“The problem here is that nighttime flights affect people’s health, and that has to be the main concern.”
The St.Maragret’s the Ward Residents Group has cautiously welcomed the draft decision.
Spokesperson is Niamh Maher; “Everyone’s already experiencing those numbers and ideally, and this is making reference to, you know, last week International Day on the ban of night flights.
“There shouldn’t be any night flying, it’s so consequential to anybody’s health, and the effects are detrimental.
“We should be focusing on reducing night flights as much as we can, as opposed to increasing them.”
Another member of the group, Michael O’Rourke said;
“The decision to allow over 90 night flights during the summer at a local airport, though acknowledging the local community, is still problematic.
“This is a reduction from previous numbers, but it remains a significant disturbance for residents.
“The issue is linked to a noise quota system that rates aircraft by noise emission, exacerbated by an increase in noisy freight aircraft at Dublin Airport.”
Meanwhile a statement from Dublin Airport Authority said;
“DAA notes the draft decision by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) on the hours of operation of Dublin Airport’s North Runway and the proposal to manage nighttime noise at the airport through an annual noise quota.
“However, having reviewed the draft decision and reports, there appear to be some significant contradictions and daa considers this draft decision does not reflect what was intended from this process.
“As it stands, 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% and have significant implications for passengers and airlines, as well as freight operations.”
