The Dublin Airport Authority this week have informed public representatives that they are extending the use of the North Runway from 6pm to 8pm from June 1st.
This will see a much higher volume of aircraft noise impacting communities in South Swords during the summer months, when many hope to use their gardens in the evening.
And in an ominous statement they reminded representatives that they have planning permission for use of the runway from 7am to 11pm, and said to expect these hours to extend further but not until after July 1st.
Here is the text of the communication:
You will be aware from previous communications that Dublin Airport is permitted to use North Runway from 7am to 11pm and that it is being gradually integrated into the airfield operations on a phased basis. The new runway initially operated between 9am and 1pm, and operational hours then extended to 6pm over the following months.
We are now moving to the next phase whereby North Runway will be used up to 8pm from June 1, 2023. It is expected that these hours will further increase later in the summer, but not before July 1.
We will continue to provide you with advance notice in this regard.
This update is also being sent via our various communications channels including to our community groups and local residents who have requested to be kept informed, elected representatives, North Runway’s update subscribers as well as on Dublin Airport’s website and social media.
Cllr Ian Carey
“This is a really unacceptable development from the airport which will heap further noise on communities in Swords and to the west of the county.
“The only respite the people impacted by the noise from the North Runway was the limited hours it was in operation – now in a unilateral move the DAA are going to strip that away.
“You might reasonably expect that the airport would be keen to implement noise abatement measures in line with increasing the noise on new communities, but this is simply not the case at all. The DAA remain a bad neighbour – breaching planning permissions where they see fit and sticking to the letter of them when is suits them.
“There is so much the airport could be doing to limit the impact of noise on Swords and across the county but they are effectively doing nothing. They could design their operations to effectively halve the impact of noise in Swords by continuing to use the South Runway for departures but this is not happening. They could force airlines to fly in ways that reduce noise for communities but that isn’t happening. They could erect noise barriers near the blast pad on the north runway to protect those closest but this is not happening.
“The DAA are clearly a delinquent company. You would expect a semi-state company to operate with some kind of public mindedness, but no. Other airports around Europe and the globe have shown how a low-impact airport can operate, without impacting capacity. We need to start doing that in Dublin NOW.
