Chartered flight deporting 24 men to Pakistan cost €473,000, minister reveals
Darragh Mc Donagh
A chartered flight used to deport 24 men from Ireland to Pakistan two weeks ago cost the Government around €473,000, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has revealed.
It was the fourth and most expensive chartered deportation flight to date this year, following two flights to Georgia and one to Nigeria between February and June, which cost €530,941 combined.
The cost of the flight that departed for Pakistan on September 23rd does not include support services such as ground-handling, on-board paramedics, and flight management.
A total of 130 people have now been deported on chartered flights since the beginning of this year, while another 137 have been removed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) on commercial airlines.
The first chartered deportation flight saw the removal of 32 people to Georgia at a cost of €102,476, working out at €3,302 per person.
Another chartered flight to Georgia in May deported 39 people at a cost of €103,751 or €2,660 per person.
A return flight to Nigeria in June costing €324,714 facilitated the deportation of 35 individuals, including five children, working out at €9,278 per person.
The deportation of 24 men to Pakistan on a chartered flight on September 23 at an approximate cost of €473,000 worked out at almost €20,000 per person, making it the most expensive deportation flight to date.
Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, who revealed the figure in response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon this week, said the cost could still rise as the invoicing process was not complete.
“Deportations are costly and complex to enforce,” he said. “It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order.
“If a person does not remove themselves from the state following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed, and my department has taken action to significantly improve immigration enforcement measures and increase removals.”
The number of deportation orders issued increased by 180% to 2,403 last year compared to 857 in 2023. This year, a total of 3,035 deportation orders were signed up to October 3rd.
“The chartered flight to Pakistan on September 23 involved the removal of 24 adult males,” said Mr O’Callaghan. “I can confirm that the returnees on this flight were accompanied by Garda personnel, medical staff, an interpreter, and a human rights observer.
“The cost for provision of the aircraft for the fourth charter operation is approximately €473,000 for a return flight to Pakistan. The total costs for this operation are not yet available as the invoicing process has not yet been completed.”
