Varadkar defends council decision to cut night-time flights at Dublin Airport

By David Young and Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has defended Fingal County Council’s decision to issue an enforcement order on Dublin Airport requiring it to reduce the number of night-time flights.

Mr Varadkar said he did not think there would ultimately be any disruption to flights and expressed confidence a resolution would be found.

The council has told the airport to reduce the number of flights between 11pm to 7am to 65 a night within six weeks.

The order comes after the council ruled the airport was in breach of planning conditions for operating late-night flights.

Ryanair has branded the enforcement order “stupid”, and called on the “sledgehammer measures” by the council to be reversed.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said that most “first wave” flights depart between 6am and 7am, and the measure would “destroy” their schedule.

He also suggested that opening the second runway at the airport could be a solution.

“The easiest way to comply with these planning restrictions would be to open the second runway between 6am and midnight,” he told RTÉ Radio.

“We have a ridiculous situation at the moment in Dublin Airport where the second runway is closed in the early morning, all the aircrafts are taking off the one runway, and what this enforcement notice by Fingal County Council would do is reduce the overall number of flights at Dublin Airport, below the number we had when there was only one runway.”

He said that he was asking for Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to get involved, stating: “Access to and from the island of Ireland, on the periphery of Europe… can’t be regulated by a local council or a couple of local residents at St Margaret’s.”

Speaking to reporters in Dunleer, Co Louth, Mr Varadkar said: “Fingal County Council has to enforce the law.

“And if planning conditions have been breached, well, then Fingal County Council has no choice but to enforce the law, so I don’t criticise the council for doing its job.

“But I think there’s a number of further steps that are yet to play out in this regard.

“There is an appeal before An Bord Pleanála (planning appeals body) at the moment and I think there’s also likely to be a court case.

“So I don’t anticipate that there will be disruption to people’s flights.

“If people are worried about their flights in the next few weeks, whether it’s for holidays, or visiting relatives or businesses, I don’t think they need to be because this will play out, both in An Bord Pleanala and in the courts.

“But ultimately, Fingal County Council has to enforce the existing planning permission and they are right to do so.”