daa welcomes clarity provided by An Coimisiún Pleanála decision on Dublin Airport North Runway Relevant Action but disappointed with cap on movements
While daa is reviewing the details, we welcome the decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) regarding the hours of operation of Dublin Airport’s North Runway and the proposal to manage nighttime noise at the airport through an annual noise quota.
While North Runway will continue to have no nighttime 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.
The move to manage nighttime 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. While daa is disappointed that ACP imposed an annual cap of 35,672 nighttime 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 nighttime 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.”