- The Department of Justice has issued a €14m tender for charter flight services
- The contract supports an expected increase in deportation operations over five years
- The new contract is nearly three times the value of the previous arrangement
- Seven charter flights in 2026 have removed 245 people
- Demand is expected to grow
The Department of Justice has issued a €14m tender for charter flight services to support an expected increase in deportation or return operations over the next five years. The new contract is nearly three times the value of the previous three-year arrangement. Seven charter flights in 2026 so far have removed 245 people, including 91 EU citizens on criminality grounds.
Charter aircraft are utilised by An Garda Síochána alongside commercial flights, particularly when groups of individuals need to be returned directly to the same destination or when commercial carriers are not appropriate. Deportation and return numbers have climbed in recent years, with official figures showing hundreds of individuals removed via charter and commercial pathways.
The new €14m budget signals an anticipated rise in demand for return and deportation operations. Critics and analysts note that higher contract values also reflect rising aviation and operational costs.
