Written answers
Tuesday, 24 June 2025
Department of Justice and Equality
Departmental Expenditure
Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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640. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the amount expended on an annual basis on commercial and charter flights, to include a schedule of ancillary costs in the context of the deportation of persons from the jurisdiction from 2000 to date in 2025; and if he will include a breakdown of the number of flights used for this purpose on annual basis, over the same time period. [34165/25]
Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.A deportation order is a legal order to leave the State. Any person who has been ordered to leave the State and fails to do so, within the timeframe issued with the deportation order, is committing a criminal offence and can be arrested without warrant if they come into contact with An Garda Síochána. Such an order remains on the person’s record permanently, unless revoked – it means they may not enter Ireland again in future.
Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. 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. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable persons who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.
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 signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). This year 2,120 deportation orders have been signed up to 20 June 2025.
Last year, 1,116 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.), an increase of 252% compared to 2023 (317). This year 980 persons have had their departure confirmed through these pathways up to 20 June 2025.
It is not possible to provide all of the information requested by the Deputy, which spans over a time period of 25 years. To do so would require the manual examination of a large quantity of case files. Such an examination would require a disproportionate amount of time to compile.
So far in 2025, three charter flight operations have removed 106 people who were subject to deportation orders from the State with a further 59 removed on commercial airlines. Further charter operations and removals on commercial aircraft will be conducted as the year progresses.
The costs for the provision of the aircraft for these operations has been as follows:
- €102,476 for a one-way flight to Georgia in February.
- €103,751 for a one-way flight to Georgia in May.
- €324,714 for a return flight to Nigeria in June.
Table 1 below shows the cost of charter and commercial flights from 2021 to 2025. The figure for commercial flights includes both the flight costs (often through hubs and long-distance) for removal operations completed and also the costs of returning accompanying escorts to Ireland when a one-way charter flight is used.
Table 1: Costs for Charter and Commercial flights in 2021, 2022, 2023 2024 and 2025 (up to 20/06/2025)
| - | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charter Flight costs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | €530,941 |
| Commercial Flight costs | €428,131 | €467,289 | €494,829 | €1,202,750 | €527,003* |
From 2016 up to the end of 2023, my Department was able to reclaim some costs of commercial flights under the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund. A new fund opened in 2024 and my Department continues to reclaim funding for commercial flight costs under this EU Fund (for deportation costs only).
A number of factors impact the costs associated with deportation operations. In particular, the costs for any particular deportation reflect the numbers travelling in each instance, the destination country, and if direct flights are not available the escorts and deportee transit through a hub airport.
In some cases a person may resist deportation and the Garda National Immigration Bureau risk assessment may give rise to the need for additional escorts. Flight costs also can often be impacted by the need to make arrangements to enable escorts to return on the same flight; where, for example, it is necessary for the personal safety of the escorts.
Table 2 sets out the number of removals enforced on commercial airlines from 2021, up to 20 June 2025. During the COVID- 19 Pandemic there was a moratorium on deportations. This impacted the latter part of 2020, 2021 and for the first 8 months of 2022. During the moratorium only people whose presence in Ireland would be contrary to the public interest were deported. This moratorium was lifted in July 2022. Due to the pandemic, travelling incurred additional costs. When deportation orders and other types of removal orders are enforced using commercial airlines, they are normally returning one individual to their country of nationality.
Table 2. Deportations and Removals enforced in 2021, 2022, 2023 2024 and 2025 (up to 20/06/2025)
| - | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deportation orders enforced on commercial airlines | 5 | 24 | 51 | 134 | 59 |
| Other removals enforced on commercial flights** | 47 | 40 | 24 | 26 | 10 |
**Other enforced removals include Dublin III Transfer Orders of International Protection applicants to other EU State and EU Removal Orders for the return of EU Citizen under the Free Movement Regulations (these orders are made on grounds of criminality) and persons who are deemed inadmissible under the International Protection Act.
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