Ryanair Hits Out At Dublin Airport Noise Claims

Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, on October 6 issued a statement calling out the Irish public service broadcaster RTE as making a Prime Time report full of “hearsay” and “false claims.” The airline’s assertions against the noise agitators are supported by the facts as will be shared below.

Airport noise is “a fact of life”

RTE Prime Time, on October 3, did make a feature of noise agitators complaining about Dublin International Airport’s new North Runway, which opened on August 24, 2022. RTE Prime Time noted that Dr. Niamh Maher became less than supportive after the experience of aircraft noise allegedly terrified her children.

Photo: Croatorum / Shutterstock

However, Dublin Airport Authority (daa) CEO Kenny Jacobs addressed some flight path deviations for safety, with aircraft sometimes going 30 degrees north of the intended path planned. Jacobs also shared with RTE Prime Time;

Jacobs went on to explain that the international airport, like many others worldwide, such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, does provide noise insulation to its neighbors for those receiving a certain level of airport noise and above. A review of the daa website on mitigation measures shows other actions such as the voluntary purchase of homes, insulating schools, and changing operating practices.

Just as with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the daa is arranging night take-offs to be on the runway that least impacts the community and discourages the use of reverse thrust. The daa also insists on specific flight paths and continuous approaches to reduce noise impacts on the wider fenceline community. Finally, the group has an entire brochure on noise mitigation efforts provided below.

However, a certain prolific European very-low-cost-carrier airline has joined the conversation.

Ryanair response

Additionally, Ryanair has produced a video response. The video response includes calling out that Of the 26,000 noise complaints submitted to daa in 2022, over 23,400, or 90%, were made by just one person. Ryanair also video recorded taking audio measurements around the airport and, using day-night average sound level (DNL) or a noise average, found those places quieter than Dublin’s city center.

Ryanair also, as per the video above, noted that as Ryanair invests in newer 737 models, each newer 737 model has a smaller sound footprint than its predecessor. Boeing also did real-world noise testing with its 737 MAX with its chevron nacelles as per this October 10, 2016, YouTube video:

Furthermore, according to the ch-aviation.com database, Ryanair has 124 Boeing 737-8-200 MAX aircraft on hand with another 86 on order. Additionally, Ryanair has 150 Boeing 737-10 MAX on order. The total fleet of Boeing 737s and 28 wet-leased A320-200s that Ryanair currently has on hand, counting all wet-leased aircraft, is 545.

As such, to partially quote from Ryanair’s CEO Eddie Wilson’s response,

“RTE’s Prime Time broadcast referred to night-time noise without explaining that there are very few aircraft movements between 11pm and 7am in the morning and almost all of these are operated by new “quieter” aircraft,

“Secondly, they failed to take any decibel noise readings inside the homes or bedrooms of the 2 residents who complained about aircraft noise and/or night-time noise affecting their sleep.”

Bottom line

It’s unsurprising that Ryanair is quick to defend claims around Dublin International Airport’s noise, especially as daa seeks a high noise quota. However, fenceline communities have a right to mitigation – and it appears daa and Ryanair are doing all they can to mitigate noise.

What are your thoughts? Please share with civility in the comments.

Sources: daa Mitigation Measures, RTE Prime Time,