Department spends €3.5m on 10 deportation flights in 18 months

A charter aircraft used in the largest deportation in the history of the State which flew from Dublin Airport last November. A total of 52 Georgian nationals were removed, each escorted by Garda personnel. 171 gardaí travelled on the aircraft, with additional garda units involved in the wider ground operation, alongside medics, an interpreter and an independent human rights observer. Picture: Chani Anderson

The cost of deportation flights has hit €3.5 million since February 2025.

Figures supplied to the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by the Department of Justice include a fee of over €8,000 on an emergency landing in Nigeria, and €13,000 for plane de-icing during a flight to Poland and Lithuania.