Decision to curb night-time flights at Dublin Airport a ‘threat to jobs’ – Aer Lingus

A draft decision by the planning regulator that would significantly cut night-time flights to and from Dublin Airport would implement an unworkable system of noise regulation at the airport and have a detrimental effect on the Irish economy, Aer Lingus has said. In a statement on Thursday morning the airline added to the growing sense of concern in aviation circles about An Bord Pleanála’s (ABP’s) draft ruling in a planning appeal brought by local residents and environmentalists. The appellants are hoping to overturn a 2022 Fingal County Council decision to grant Dublin Airport operator DAA permission to replace the cap on night-time flights with a more flexible noise quota system. However, in its draft decision, which has been put back out for public submissions and observations until the end of December, the board said the company must drastically cut the number of night-time flights from the north runway, which opened in 2022. The planning regulator said arriving and departing night flights – between 11pm and 7am – should be restricted to just 13,000 annually, or 36 flights per night, a significant decrease of 20,000 from the more than 36,000 night-time hour flights in 2023.<br/>