Dublin Airport permitted to increase nighttime flights

Dublin Airport has been allowed to increase the number of nighttime flights, with some subjected to noise limits.

Irish planning body An Coimisiun Pleanala has granted permission to increase flights landing and taking off at night at the airport.

Previous planning permission had allowed 65 flights a night between 11pm and 7am.

“The commission agreed with the inspectors’ revised calculations and concluded that an annual cap of 35,672 nighttime aircraft movements would be appropriate,” it said in a decision published on Thursday.

This increases the cap to 98 flights a night, subject to certain noise-level restrictions.

The quota will be in place for 12 months from April 1.

A ban on flights at the north runway between 11pm and 7am has been reduced to between midnight and 6am, except in exceptional circumstances such as emergencies, adverse weather, or technical faults in air traffic control systems.

Aircraft that breach the noise quota will not be permitted to take off, the planning body said.

It said its decision will ensure both the number and the noise level of nighttime flights are “effectively managed”.

The chief executive of the Dublin Airport Authority, Kenny Jacobs, said it was “a good decision”.

“North runway is a critical enabler for the growth of Dublin Airport, which is needed to keep pace with population increases and economic opportunities,” he said.

“We invested hundreds of millions in a second runway to benefit Ireland but have been hamstrung in using it effectively since it opened.”

He said the decision “removes uncertainty” for the airport and airlines.

“However, we are disappointed with the nighttime movements cap which is on top of a noise quota,” he added.

“We also reaffirm our clear commitment to engaging with the local community to mitigate the impact of airport operations and have already begun to implement the noise insulation grant scheme.”

Mr Jacobs added that the decision would allow them to build piers and stands needed to allow a growth of activity up to 40 million passengers a year.

The current cap for Dublin Airport is 32 million passengers a year, a restriction that the airport has criticised as “outdated”.

Airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus have called for the cap to be removed to promote economic and tourism growth, while others have said that Ireland’s efforts to reduce its emissions will be hampered by lifting the restriction.

Last month, Fingal County Council issued a warning to the DAA over breaching its passenger cap, giving it two years to comply with the planning conditions.