RELEASE: IAA Debunks DAA’s Safety Claims

IAA debunks DAA’s “Safety Reasons” claim

Ashbourne: 10/March/2025

The Irish Aviation Authority, (IAA) has released their submission in response to An Bord Pleanála’s (ABP) September 2024 draft decision on Dublin Airport’s night flights planning application (the so-called Relevant Action).

This came in the same week that ANCA, the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority released a letter requiring daa once again to submit a noise study, this time for its so-called “no-build” application to increase the capacity of the airport from 32 to 36 million annual passengers.

Background

Dublin Airport (daa) is struggling with major planning issues and it’s mainly due to incorrect flight paths from its North Runway.

The Key Issue: Flight Paths and Passenger Limits

Daa wants to increase its passenger limit from 32 to 36 or 40 million, but there’s a problem: according to An Bord Pleanála, flights from the North Runway are not following the approved routes.

Originally, aircraft were supposed to fly straight for 9 km over empty fields before turning. Instead, pilots are making sharp turns at the end of the runway and just 400 feet above the ground. This affects 30,000 people with unexpected noise, violating Irish and EU laws.

Now the IAA has responded to daa’s claims that IAA forced these changes:

Daa claims the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) told them to change the flight paths for “safety reasons.” However, the IAA has now stated that they never required these changes.

In fact, the IAA criticizes An Bord Pleanála (ABP) for accepting daa’s claims without proper investigation. The IAA’s response makes it clear: safety was never the reason for the changes.

NRTG spokesperson Gareth O’Brien said,

 “The IAA’s response makes clear how An Bord Pleanála and others have been misled by daa’s often repeated claim that IAA required the flight paths to turn for “safety reasons”. Perhaps daa should now explain the real reason they chose to ignore the Noise Preferential Route granted in their planning permission and use a short cut that dumps noise on 30,000 people?”

What Happens Now?

Daa is refusing to submit the required noise study to ANCA while ABP considers their night flight application, because it would reveal their flawed flight path problem. Without this study, their planning applications to increase the cap are blocked.

Daa hopes ABP will confirm their draft decision with acceptance of their non-compliant flight paths for “safety and operational reasons”. However, with IAA directly calling out ABP’s gross errors and misunderstanding as well as debunking daa’s safety claim, it is extremely unlikely that ABP’s decision would survive the inevitable judicial review.

Conclusion

Dublin Airport’s growth is at risk, endangering Ireland’s national economy because daa has ignored planning conditions and environmental law to create a short cut flight path.

Daa’s next step towards increasing the cap is obvious: fix the flight paths to follow the approved Noise Preferential Route. So why will they not do it?

ENDS