Company is offering homeowners 30pc premium to current market value
The Terminal 2 building at Dublin Airport. Photo: Getty
The DAA has spent €18m buying homes and insulating houses and schools near Dublin Airport that are most affected by the noise of aircraft taking off and landing.
The semi-state airport company said that it has now purchased six homes beside the gateway under its voluntary dwelling purchase scheme, with the DAA remaining open to acquiring more properties. So far, the owners of 41 homes have been asked to participate in the buyout scheme.
The scheme offers homeowners in specific areas an option to sell their properties to Dublin Airport.
Eligible homeowners receive a 30pc premium to the current market value of their home.
The DAA has paid for insulation work to be done on 170 homes, while an additional 47 have been offered insulation.
Dublin Airport said it’s committed to insulating more premises in coming months and years, “as it seeks to strike a balance between the essential operation of Ireland’s national airport and the impact on valued local communities”.
We’re very conscious that our operations can have an impact on those living nearby
Some communities living near the airport and under the flightpath of arriving and departing aircraft have long voiced their concerns over the amount of noise they experience from the airport’s activities.
A report published in August found that more people were affected last year by higher noise levels from Dublin Airport than in 2019, with fewer impacted by lower noise levels.
The report was published by the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority – a Fingal County Council agency that is responsible for monitoring and regulating the management of aircraft noise in the communities around Dublin Airport.
It also found that the number of people categorised as ‘highly annoyed’ by noise from the airport fell more than 38pc in 2023 compared to 2019, when only one main runway was in operation.
The DAA said today that it has launched a new tool on the Dublin Airport website called Maploom that allows members of the public to instantly check if they are eligible for the airport’s noise mitigation schemes.
Dublin Airport managing director Gary McLean said a “huge amount of work” has already been done to reduce the noise impact and that the airport is “committed to doing even more”.
“Dublin Airport is a significant employer and economic contributor to the areas immediately surrounding the airport, and we’re very conscious that our operations can have an impact on those living and going to school nearby,” he said.