Deportation flight cancelled at last minute cost State €362,000

A CHARTER flight due to carry failed asylum seekers from Dublin to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo was cancelled at short notice in August at a cost of €362,000, despite never leaving the runway at Dublin Airport.

It is the most expensive charter flight incurred by the State since the Department of Justice began keeping records. The flight was the subject of controversy at the time as a woman, who was among the deportees, had been treated for bleeding linked to an apparent miscarriage hours earlier.

A Department of Justice spokesman said the flight on August 16th was cancelled just before take-off after authorities in the Congo refused the flight a landing permit.

There have been three similar incidents in the last two years, when chartered deportation flights have been cancelled and deportees due to be repatriated returned to Ireland. However, the average cost to the State of such cancellations was only €16,000.

According to the spokesman for the Department of Justice, the higher cost was due to the fact Irish authorities only learned the permit was denied from the Democratic Republic of Congo embassy shortly before take-off.

In the event of an 11th-hour cancellation when an aircraft has not taken off, the State, rather than the charter company, is liable for the full cost of the flight. In all the other cases, the flights had taken off and were either mid-air or at a scheduled stop en route.

The spokesman said that when the landing permit is denied at such a late stage, it is impossible to file a different flight plan excluding the location for which the permit has been denied as it would not be approved in time.