A group representing residents living in the vicinity of Dublin Airport said they have "lost total trust in the daa" amid calls for the withdrawal of draft legislation aimed at removing the airport's passenger cap.
Resident and community groups opposed to the lifting of the restriction appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport at Leinster House.
Last month, the Cabinet approved draft legislation to lift Dublin Airport's 32 million passenger cap, which was a condition in a 2007 planning permission.
A record 36.4 million people passed through the two terminals last year, far exceeding the restriction, which has been suspended by the High Court pending the outcome of legal proceedings referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The committee has begun hearings as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026.
Liam O'Gradaigh, a member of the St Margarets The Ward Residents Group, said they are not against airport expansion "once it adheres to proper planning and sustainable development".
He also said the group had "lost total trust in the daa".
However, Mr O'Gradaigh said since 2019 the noise level has "escalated".
"There were 1,533 people above the 55 decibel Lnight [the noise level at night] and that increased to 6,791 in 2024.
"We would expect when we get to 2025 figures that would be greater again," he said.
Another member of the group, Dr Niamh Maher, said increased noise levels will have an impact on people's health and called for better noise mitigation measures.
Louise O'Leary, from Children’s Rights Over Flights, told TDs and Senators that the group believes the bill "should be withdrawn and should never have been drafted in the first place".
She claimed it will "lead to major increases in fossil fuel pollution".
'No economic, environmental or moral rationale' for removing cap
David Walton, of the Ballyboughal Community Council, accused the Government of bypassing planning laws.
He said increasing passenger numbers at Dublin Airport goes "completely against balanced regional development".
Mr Walton also claimed in his contribution that there is "no economic, environmental or moral rationale" for removing the cap.
Gareth O'Brien from the North Runway Technical Group called for the passenger cap to be raised and not abolished.
"Raise it as required and tie it to infrastructure," he said.
He also questioned the flight path that is used when planes take off from the Dublin Airport's north runway, requiring the aircraft to take a 30-degree turn right.
"The key issue of why they are not flying ahead is being couched as it’s for safety," he said.
Mr O’Brien called on the Department of Transport and daa to "hire an independent qualified flight procedure designer to come up with a solution or certify there is no solution and that this in fact the only way to do this".
"We don’t believe it is," he added.
The Transport Committee members were invited by the residents to visit their communities to experience firsthand the aviation noise levels.
Following the hearing, a protest was held outside the gates of Leinster House calling for the cap to be maintained.
A copy of the draft legislation was torn up by some of the demonstrators.
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