The operator of Dublin Airport has slammed proposals to change current night-time flight policy as “a backward step” that would “significantly impact aviation and passenger numbers”.
Earlier this week, the State planning authority issued a draft proposal to lift the restrictions on night flights and extend the airport’s normal operating hours by 2 hours.
It proposed to allow flights to depart and land on Dublin Airport’s North Runway from 11pm to Midnight and between 6am and 7am, adding two hours to operations.
Its proposals included the removal of the current cap on the number of flights allowed between 11pm and 7am and, in its place, an annual night time noise quota between 11:30pm and 6am.
Currently, only 65 night aircraft movements are allowed at Dublin Airport between 11pm and 7am.
However, in a response statement, Daa – which operates both Dublin and Cork airports – said the An Bord Pleanála (ABP) proposals appear to include some “significant contradictions”.
Daa said it considers the draft decision “does not reflect what was intended from this process.”
In its statement, Daa said: “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 night-time flights by over 60% and have significant implications for passengers and airlines, as well as freight operations.”
