Night time flight restriction order at Dublin Airport ‘idiotic’, says Ryanair

Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, has said he has some sympathy for residents living near Dublin Airport who have complained to the local authority about noise pollution but that there needs to be “balance”, after Fingal County Council ordered the airport’s operator to reduce the number of night-time flights.

On Friday, the airline issued a statement calling on Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to take “urgent action” after DAA was handed an enforcement order by the council late last month, ruling that the number of night-time flights amounted to “unauthorised development” in contravention of its planning permission.

The DAA’s chief executive, Kenny Jacobs, said last week the enforcement order would mean the number of night-time flights at the airport would now be lower than before a new second runway opened last year. It is understood that an appeal has not yet been lodged with An Bord Pleanála as the DAA is awaiting more information about the decision from the council. But a spokesman for the semi-State company said on Friday that it is exploring all potential options to ensure that the disruption to passengers is minimal.

[ Ryanair flies a record 18.7m passengers in July ]

Ryanair said that “a sensible solution” was required and that the local authority “cannot be allowed to dictate national aviation policy or to restrict flights from our national airport”. The airline said that the decision to “slash flights between 11pm and 7am by over 40 per cent with just six weeks’ notice” was “idiotic and must be reversed”.

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Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk on Friday morning, Mr O’Leary said the planning decision referred to by the council in its enforcement notice was devised ten years ago when aircraft were much noisier. “We’re investing heavily [in] much quieter aircraft but I have some sympathy for the residents because the new [north] runway is closed between 11am and 7am, all of the flights are taking off on the south runway,” he said.

“And, now, this restriction would limit even the number of flights that could take off on the south runway. It’s bizarre and it requires an intervention from our transport minister but, sadly, he will go missing, as usual.”

Mr O’Leary said that Dublin Airport was built in the 1940s and predates most of the affected houses. “There has to be some balance here. You bought a house beside an airport. The fact is that you do benefit from significant increase in valuation that those houses have enjoyed because they’re in and around Dublin Airport. So, I have some sympathy but it does have to be balanced.”

DAA said last week the decision was disappointing and noted that it was coming “in the middle of the peak summer holiday season”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, meanwhile, played down the prospect of disruptions to flights as a result of Fingal County Council’s order. He said the council was right to enforce the law but suggested flights will not be affected amid an expected appeals process.

Mr Varadkar said: “If planning conditions have been breached, well then Fingal County Council has no choice but to enforce the law so I don’t think you can criticise a council for doing its job.”

“There’s a number of further steps that are yet to play out in this regard... So I don’t anticipate that there will be disruption to people’s flights. If people are worried about their flights in the next few weeks, whether it’s for holidays or visiting relatives or businesses, I don’t think they need to be because this will play out both in An Bord Pleanála and in the courts. But ultimately Fingal County Council has to enforce the existing planning permission and they’re right to do so.”

Separately, the semi-State has reported its busiest ever day amid a sharp rebound in the number of passengers travelling through the hub last month.

Some 120,585 people travelled through the airport on July 30th, the highest number ever recorded in a single day, according to DAA. Cork Airport, meanwhile, reported its busiest July since 2008 as 301,000 passengers travelled through the hub, also up 13 per cent on last July, DAA said.