An Bord Pleanála’s draft decision on operations at Dublin Airport would cut nighttime flights by 60pc, according to calculations by airport operators the DAA.
The DAA sought to modify flight caps during nighttime hours, requesting a switch to an annual quota instead of fixed numbers, backed by airlines like Ryanair.
The proposed decision includes a limit of 13,000 flights annually from midnight to 6am, which significantly contradicts the DAA’s intentions and could hinder aviation and passenger numbers.
The DAA has also suggested noise mitigation measures and expressed concern that the draft decision deviates from previous agreements, leading to a potential breach of night-flight quotas.
The DAA plans to raise its annual passenger cap from 32m to between 35 and 37m.
According to a written statement from Dublin airport operators DAA: 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 60pc and have significant implications for passengers and airlines, as well as freight operations.
