Irish state spent nearly €3m on charter jet deportations

The Irish state has spent €2.88 million, excluding VAT, on charter flights for deportations since February of last year. Figures released by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O'Callaghan, reveal that ten flights have been utilized for these operations.

The most recent flight, which departed Dublin Airport for South Africa on Thursday, incurred a cost of €735,000. This flight carried 42 South African nationals, including 15 children, 18 women, and nine men, all of whom were part of family units.

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The term of the contract is three years with a possibility to extend it twice by one year, a potential lifespan of 5 years in total.

Since February 2025, a total of 377 individuals have been deported via charter flight, averaging €7,639 per deportee. These figures do not account for any additional costs related to Garda overtime.

The €735,000 cost for the latest flight marks the most expensive charter operation to date. Previously, the second most costly flight, also to South Africa, cost €585,075 and deported 63 people. A flight in September to Pakistan cost €473,000 for 24 deportees.

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charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination

Other destinations for charter deportations include Nigeria (€324,714), Romania (€69,475), and Poland/Lithuania on two occasions (€187,625 and €184,465). The initial deportation flight in February 2025 cost €102,476 for 32 individuals to Georgia.

Minister O'Callaghan stated that charter flight services are provided by Air Partner Ltd under a contract secured through a competitive procurement process. The contract, signed in November 2024, has a potential value of €5 million over its lifespan, which could extend up to five years. He explained that charter flights offer an alternative to commercial travel and are more suitable for group removals, thereby increasing options for effecting removals.

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This has increased the options available to An Garda Síochána to effect removals