Fingal County Council has ruled that an application from the operators of Dublin Airport to raise the airport’s passenger cap to 36 million passengers per annum was invalid
The Planning Authority rejected the daa’s application because it failed to comply with various planning and development regulations and was also “misleading”.
“It is also invalid because the proposed description of the development in the public notices is non-compliant with the relevant regulations and is inadequate and misleading,” Fingal County Council said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Council added that it is “a matter of great concern to the Planning Authority that such a significant planning application is invalid”.
“Pre-planning is available to assist applicants but did not take place for this application.”
In a statement, daa said it was “baffled and bewildered by this bizarre flip-flop by Fingal County Council”.
It said the council had twice confirmed the validity of its application in recent weeks.
The airport operator added: “daa lodged this straightforward ‘no build’ application to provide a short-term solution to the planning cap impasse but FCC refuses to be pragmatic about this issue of national importance, despite allowing for 40 million in its own development plan.
“This ‘Snakes and Ladders’ approach to planning shows why decisions about Dublin Airport should be made at a national level by ABP and not locally by FCC.”
Earlier, the daa called for an increase in the passenger cap and improvements in the planning process to be included in the next Programme for Government.
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Daa chief executive Kenny Jacobs said that 33.3 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport last year, in excess of the 32 million cap.
But he said that figure could have been one million higher if it was not for the passenger cap.
Mr Jacobs said daa is doing everything it can to comply with the cap by removing all incentives to operate from Dublin, offering incentives for airlines to move slots to Cork and imposing restrictions on slots to meet the caps requirements.
He said the daa is waiting on the planning process to make decisions on increasing the cap and that it needs it to move faster.
He said the courts have been moving quicker than the planning process in this regard by giving a stay on the cap for the summer of 2025.
Aer Lingus, Ryanair and charter operators have applied for more slots for the summer of 2025, Mr Jacobs said.
He also called for Dublin Airport to be reclassified as strategic infrastructure when it comes to airport planning.
He also described as “Father Ted comments” that the cap at Dublin Airport would benefit regional airports and said people need to “grow up” in this regard.
Airport sound insulation grant scheme to be offered to up to 400 homes
Daa also announced a new sound insulation grant for up to 400 homes impacted by aircraft noise around Dublin Airport, which it said can reduce noise levels by at least five decibels.
Homes in parts of Portmarnock, Coolquay, Coolrath and Kilcormac, which received planning permission before 2005, will be among those eligible for the grant.
It said it has increased the grant by 50% to €30,000 per home in recognition of increased construction and insulation costs.
Daa said it is doing this in advance of an An Board Pleanála decision on sound mitigation measures.
Daa’s chief financial officer Peter Dunne said the airport takes noise very seriously, adding that it needs to be a good neighbour.
He also said the daa has spent €18m insulating and buying local homes, while it has also insulated three local schools.
Daa said it has offered to buy 41 homes at a 30% premium of current market value. Six of those have been completed and 14 are currently in process.
However, daa’s proposed increase in nighttime insulation and financing will not protect residents of north county Dublin and east Meath, according to Niamh Maher who represents residents impacted by airport noise.
“An Bord Pleanála have a restriction on fleet movement limits as part of their draft decision on the relevant action. This is to protect the health of the community,” Ms Maher said.
She added: “This is a standard in European and many UK airports. Dublin would be a significant outlier if this were to be allowed.”
Ms Maher said that the daa’s treatment of local communities has been “nothing short of scandalous”.
The operators of Dublin Airport have not adequately assessed the areas around the airport and underneath flight paths for the risk of additional awakenings due to aircraft noise, she added.
“Any awakening that happens beyond a natural physiological event is harmful to sleep quality and cardiovascular health.”
Daa said that 95% of passengers last year got through security in under 20 minutes and passenger satisfaction was rated at 8.8 out of 10.
New security scanners will also be fully rolled out at Dublin Airport by October of this year.
Daa said passenger charges are too low and have stayed static for almost 20 years, making Dublin an outlier compared to other international airports.
Meanwhile, the former Quick Park car park will reopen in April this year, with a private operator offering an extra 6,500 spaces to airport passengers.
No need for two drink limit at Dublin Airport – daa
Daa also said today that while it agrees that drinking at airports needs to be controlled, they do not feel Dublin Airport needs to implement a two drink limit.
Mr Jacobs said of the people arrested for being drink and disorderly at Dublin and Cork airports last year the majority of them were arrested at check in.
The average amount of alcohol consumed at Dublin Airport was half a pint per passenger, he added.
He said he believed it was a bigger issue at other European airports where the cost of alcohol was cheaper.
Mr Jacobs also said there has been strong interest by South American carriers for a service between Dublin and Sao Paolo in Brazil and that 30,000 Brazilians living in Ireland has signed a petition asking for this service.
However he said the passenger cap meant they are uncertain about the future.
He also said it would need a bi-lateral agreement between Ireland and Brazil in relation to visas but that he hoped the respective governments could reach agreement in this regard.
Emissions would rise 8% if passenger cap increased to 36m, report says
Daa estimated that total greenhouse gas emissions from airport operations, surface access and aviation at Dublin Airport would rise by almost 8% in 2026 if the passenger cap was lifted from 32 million to 36 million as proposed in their rejected planning permission.
Environmental reports submitted as part of the application estimated the total emissions would rise by 276,591 tons of carbon equivalent from 3,588,348 (3.58Mt) without the increase to 3,864,939 (3.86Mt) if it is allowed to go ahead.
It says the emissions from aviation would rise by 8.3% in 2026, from 3,207,580 tons (3.2Mt) to 3,493,905 (3.49Mt).
Total non-aviation emissions from Ireland’s transport sector in 2024 was 11.63Mt.
The estimates prepared by a UK based consultant, AECOM, on behalf of the daa, the report does not include non-CO2 emissions from aviation despite the fact that these other emissions which include six other greenhouse gases emitted by aircraft are being included in reporting for the EU Emissions Trading System from the start of this year.
Some uncertainty remains around how much those other gases which include methane, water vapour and nitrogen oxides contribute to climate change, but some studies have suggested their combined effects could be three times greater than the CO2 emitted by aircraft.
The report does factor in improvements in aircraft efficiency and increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) when estimating future emissions.
Additional reporting Colman O’Sullivan
