By limiting flights between 11 pm and 7 am to only 65, Fingal County Council’s action, which was announced this week, seeks to lessen noise pollution for nearby homes.
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, expressed his strong opposition to the enforcement order issued by Fingal County Council in an interview with RTE News on Friday.
According to O’Leary, he wants to move the cutoff time for flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. down to 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., leaving early morning flights unaffected by the adjustments.
The CEO of Ryanair continued by calling the order “stupid” and “idiotic,” adding that a “tiny number of neighbours” cannot be permitted to set the policies for the country's busiest airport.
Michael O’Leary said that Ryanair and Aer Lingus both had fleets that included a sizable proportion of new planes that are 50% quieter in an effort to combat the issue of noise pollution.
The airline CEO continued, calling the DAA's choice to spend €300 million on a second runway “bizarre” if they decide to cut back on flights. “Only in Ireland would you get this sort of absurdity,” he said.
Mr. O’Leary demanded that the Fingal County Council's injunction be revoked and added that if Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan does not step in to resolve the issue, he should step down.