AER LINGUS CALLED on the Government to intervene in a row over night-time restrictions on flights at Dublin Airport, claiming plans to lower the number of night-time flights would cause “significant reputational damage” to Ireland. 

The airline’s CEO Lynne Embelton wrote to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan in August to strongly criticise an order to reduce flights at the airport between 11pm and 7am.

The letter was written a week after Fingal County Council made the order in a ruling that the airport breached conditions of its planning permission for the new North Runway, which said no more than 65 flights could use the runway at night.

That followed complaints to the council by residents living near the airport who say they have been subject to noise pollution from night-time flights using the runway since it opened last year.

Dublin Airport operator DAA was given six weeks to reduce the number of flights, though it secured a temporary stay on the order pending a challenge to it in the courts.

DAA denies that it has breached the conditions of its planning permission.

In her letter, released to The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act, Embleton told Ryan that local authority’s order had the potential to “cause significant disruption to thousands of passengers” who may have booked flights using the runway at night. 

“The current enforcement order will reduce capacity at Dublin Airport and without urgent action, will impact connectivity, employment, tourism and business resulting in significant reputational damage,” she said. 

She said that up to 110 flights used the airport between 11pm and 7am before the enforcement and that reducing this number would damage Aer Lingus’ Dublin hub and the company’s finances.

“The combination of reduced shorthaul flying, cancellation of new longhaul routs, and decreased connecting traffic on remaining routes could severely impact our recovery and ability to invest in more sustainable airport,” Embleton said. 

She further claimed that Fingal County Council’s order “undermined” the recovery of the aviation sector from the Covid pandemic and that it did not recognise the nature of global aviation and different time-zones.

“It is important to note that an effective operating day of 16 hours (07:00 – 23:00) will severely impact the economics of European services operated with aircraft based in Dublin,” she said.

“06:00 – 07:00 is currently the busiest hour of the day as shorthaul aircraft based in Dublin depart for the first service of the day.”