daa welcomes clarity on decision on Dublin Airport North Runway Operations

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.

 

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. 

  

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 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to resolving the airport cap issue and look forward to confirmation of their legislative proposal to remove the outdated cap this autumn.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: 

 

1. 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.
2. 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.  

The changes also provide Dublin Airport with more operational flexibility. This is especially needed during the peak 6am-7am window given Ireland is one hour behind continental Europe. In particular, Aer Lingus and Ryanair require early morning departures and late evening arrivals for their short haul operations, and Aer Lingus requires early morning arrivals for its transatlantic operations.

 

It also means Ireland can realise fuller economic benefits of North Runway. A 2021 study by InterVISTAS forecast that Ireland would forgo thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of euros in lost GDP each year the restrictions were in place. Much of this economic impact was expected to be outside of the aviation sector due to catalytic impacts (tourism, trade, investment, etc.) and indirect and induced impacts (supplier and spending in the wider economy). Separate research by the Freight Transport Association of Ireland highlights that cargo night flying supports €1.1bn in GDP and 15,000 jobs. 

Research by Ireland’s National Competitiveness and Productivity Council also highlights the impact of slow progress on infrastructure development on Ireland’s ability to attract foreign direct investment. 

The ACP decision also confirms a residential sound insulation grant scheme for residential dwellings. daa has already commenced this grant scheme on a voluntary basis, announcing in January that up to 400 more homes will be offered up to €30,000 worth of insulation measures. daa will now review the detail of ACP’s decision.