Around 150 individuals from the vicinity of St Margaret’s and The Ward assembled near a junction in view of the northern runway of Dublin Airport on a Friday evening. Their main concern was the excessive volume of night-time flights that seem to compromise the tranquillity of their homes. This protest coincided with the International Day Against Night Flights and was coordinated with the global campaign group, Stay Grounded.
Many participants are local residents who explicitly criticised the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), accusing it of being intent on ignoring restrictions on flight operations during the night and the count of passengers. St Margaret’s local Niamh Maher voiced her distress over the heightened frequency of night flights that continue to disrupt her family’s sleep. With regards to the prospect of expanding flight operations beyond the airport’s approved planning stipulations, she affirmed that these planning permissions must be respected, enforced, and any violations held accountable. She observed that the situation had further deteriorated post the opening of the airport’s northern runway. Despite confirming that Dublin has a higher ratio of night-time air traffic than the strictly regulated Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt airports, Maher stressed that adjusting to the incessant noise was not an option.
Local resident Liam Ó Gradaigh pointed out that the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority, which oversees the noise levels around the airport, mentioned that the number of people affected by noise levels exceeding 55 decibels at night should not surpass the count from 2019. He revealed that in 2019, about 1,500 locals lived in proximity to the airport where the noise levels topped 55 decibels consistently over the year. However, by 2023 this count had surged to 4,500 individuals, signifying that the numbers negatively impacted by noise had tripled.
Participating local residents Annette Akinrinde and Marianne O’Keeffe confirmed their participation in the protests due to disrupted sleep. Anne Graves, a Fingal county council representative, urged authorities to consider redistributing some of the flights to alternative airports. She highlighted how the DAA had already rerouted some flights to Cork but suggested they could extend this to Shannon. She reasoned that Shannon was well-equipped to accommodate cargo flights effortlessly due to its established infrastructure.
The Stay Grounded network, boasting over 200 group memberships worldwide, stands in opposition to the growth of the aviation sector.