The operator of Dublin and Cork airports, daa has welcomed clarity – provided by An Coimisiún Pleanála – over night-time operations at Dublin Airport’s North Runway, but said it still has some reservations.
While Dublin’s North Runway will continue to have no night-time take-offs or landings, it can now be operated between 6am and midnight, which is two hours longer than previously.
This unlocks more efficient utilisation of this vital national infrastructure which future-proofs Dublin Airport’s capacity to manage further passenger growth, daa said.
The move to manage night-time noise through an annual noise quota aligns with international best practice and will encourage further uptake of daa’s incentives for newer, lower emission and quieter aircraft, the airport operator added.
However, it said: “While daa is disappointed that ACP imposed an annual cap of 35,672 night-time aircraft movements in addition to the annual noise quota, having a clear decision resolves the situation where, despite the opening of North Runway, Dublin Airport would have fewer night-time flights with two runways than it had previously with just one.
“The certainty provided by ACP’s decision also removes a significant barrier to the progress of daa’s separate Infrastructure Application (IA) which seeks permission for a range of significant investments in critical infrastructure and sustainability improvements at Dublin Airport. The IA also seeks permission to increase the annual number of passengers to 40 million, in line with national aviation policy, the Fingal Development Plan and the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan.”
Fingal County Council (FCC) was unable to progress the IA further without daa providing information to the noise regulator ANCA, but daa was unable to provide this without the ACP decision. Daa will now work to provide the relevant information to ANCA as quickly as possible so that FCC can get on with approving the IA before the end of 2025.
Welcoming ACP’s decision, daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: “Overall this is a good decision for Ireland. North Runway is a critical enabler for the growth of Dublin Airport, which is needed to keep pace with population increases and economic opportunities. We invested hundreds of millions in a second runway to benefit Ireland but have been hamstrung in using it effectively since it opened.
“We welcome the clarity today’s decision brings which removes uncertainty for Dublin Airport and the airlines, as well as having a positive impact on jobs and investment in Ireland. However, we are disappointed with the nighttime movements cap which is on top of a noise quota. 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.
“Today’s decision is also key to unlocking the block preventing FCC from progressing our application to build the piers and stands needed to enable Dublin Airport to grow to 40 million passengers a year. We will work with FCC to enable a decision on the IA before the end of the year. We need to start building – that’s our biggest issue and we need planning permission to do that.
“We also welcome the government’s commitment to resolving the airport cap issue and look forward to confirmation of their legislative proposal to remove the outdated cap this autumn. At a time of great global economic uncertainty, taking bold, ambitious steps is essential for our small, open, island economy and sets Ireland up for the future.”
Background to the North Runway Relevant Action
Building a parallel runway system has been part of Dublin Airport’s development plan since the 1960s and land was safeguarded for that purpose. The original, highly restrictive conditions were imposed as part of the planning permission for North Runway in 2007, and daa applied for planning permission to amend them in 2020. In June 2022, the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA) published its regulatory decision regarding appropriate noise mitigations and runway operating restrictions to apply at Dublin Airport. The application was subsequently approved by Fingal County Council (FCC), prior to the opening of North Runway.
In August 2022, daa delivered the €320m North Runway and associated facilities on time and on budget. In comparison, Heathrow’s third runway is estimated to cost £17bn – assuming it is ever built. However, due to an appeal to ACP, the FCC decision on North Runway did not come into effect, preventing efficient utilisation of this vital national infrastructure. ACP’s consideration of FCC’s decision included a five-week public consultation in winter 2023. A second round of consultation with interested parties was held by ACP in March 2024. In September 2024, ACP issued their draft decision, which was subject to a further 14 -week public consultation.
There are two key aspects to today’s decision by ACP:
- North Runway cannot be used for take-off and landing between midnight and 5.59am (previously 11pm to 7am).
- This means there are no nighttime flights on North Runway during these hours other than in exceptional circumstances e.g. safety considerations or to allow for essential maintenance works on South Runway.
- Additionally, between the hours of 11pm and 6.59am, the airport will manage nighttime noise through an annual noise quota and an annual movement cap.
- The noise quota of 16,260 applies to all aircraft flying to and from Dublin Airport between 11pm and 6.59am. As North Runway cannot be used between midnight and 5.59am, the noise quota will principally be used to manage aircraft noise on South Runway. Flights on North Runway between 11pm-12am and 6am-7am will count towards the noise quota. 16,260 refers to a noise classification scheme, not numbers of aircraft movements.*
- There is also an annual cap of 35,672 nighttime aircraft movements in addition to the annual noise quota.
These changes bring Dublin Airport in line with international best practice and encourage the incentivisation of newer, lower emission and quieter aircraft. The previous 65-movement cap was a blunt measure that did not distinguish between older noisier aircraft and newer quieter ones, but a noise quota does.
