Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When we raised this at Minister's questions, in fairness, the Minister was forthright in his support for residents in the area and the need for them to be adequately compensated. Those points were registered by the local communities and welcomed.

The Minister's answer is explicit as to the intentions of the DAA. They openly intend to try to breach this restrictive night-flight condition even though ten years ago when standards were lower it was deemed to be unacceptable for the local communities. It is even less acceptable now.

There is no business or connectivity imperative behind the proposition of that early morning glut. It is simply in place to enhance the profitability of the carriers, particularly the ones which want to have an aircraft return to base and go back out on another leg. For example, there are early morning flights departing to sun destinations where the passengers would far prefer to go mid-morning. That morning glut is all about aircraft going out and come back in time for a second leg.

The profits of airlines are of a lesser concern to the well-being of the local community. It is unacceptable that those conditions would be breached and that we would not have a cost-benefit analysis on this proposal. Such an analysis needs to be done holistically. I hope the Minister takes those points into account.

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