Ryanair says it faces a “mass cancellation” at Dublin Airport from next month if the airport operator is forced to cut daily flights to contain noise.
Earlier this week, Fingal County Council issued an enforcement notice to airport operator daa.
It will limit the number of flights that can take off and land at their airports between 11pm and 7am to 65 per day.
The terms were agreed when planning permission was granted for the northern runway, which opened last August.
But Fingal County Council says the airport’s summer schedule is now in breach of conditions.
Night flights are currently only operated from the south runway and the north runway is already closed between 11pm and 7am.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Ryanair’s group chief executive said the order would lead to the cancellation of the airline’s flights.
Michael O’Leary wants the lockdown period to be shortened between midnight and 6am and said it would allow most early morning flights to be uninterrupted, reports RTE.
The airline added that the reduction would mean fewer flights than before the construction of Dublin Airport’s second runway, which it described as eccentric.
“We have the bizarre situation where we will have now spent €300 million building a second runway, but now have less flights than when we only had one runway – only in Ireland would you get this sort of absurdity,” he said, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Philip Boucher-Hayes, he said: “Everyone knew the airport has been operating in a way that didn’t comply with planning. And it is only right that the airport has to get in line with the laws. It would apply to you or me so it should apply to them as well,” reports RTE.
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