Government to collect passenger data for EU flights under new plan

The Department of Justice said the move would help 'to detect suspicious travel patterns and identify criminals and terrorists'

The EU directive also provided the option for member states to extend the requirements to airlines in respect of 'intra-EU flights' — flights operating within the EU. File picture 

Passenger data of people flying in and out of Ireland from the EU will be collected by the Government under a plan agreed at Cabinet.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan on Tuesday secured Government approval to draft amendments to the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. 

The changes concern the statutory framework for processing passenger name record (PNR) data by the Irish passenger information unit within the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration.

The department said the move would help “to detect suspicious travel patterns and identify criminals and terrorists”.

The Government said the “collection and analysis of PNR data is a widely used law enforcement tool in the EU and elsewhere”.

It consists of information provided by passengers which is collected by and held in the airlines’ reservation and departure control systems for commercial purposes.

In 2016, an EU directive established a regime requiring airlines to collect PNR data and allowing police forces to request that data on a case-by-case basis for investigating and prosecuting serious crime and terrorism.

Ireland gave legal effect to that directive in 2018. The regulations require airlines to transfer PNR data for flights entering or leaving Ireland from non-EU countries to the Irish passenger information unit.

The EU directive also provided the option for member states to extend the requirements to airlines in respect of “intra-EU flights” — flights operating within the EU.

A department statement said Ireland will “avail of this option in the amendments, extending the Irish PNR regime to the collection of PNR data from flights flying in and out of Ireland from and to other EU member states”. Intra-EU flights will be selected based on risk assessments or when “the State is faced with a genuine and present or foreseeable terrorist threat”.

Mr O’Callaghan said that currently “PNR data only extends to those flying to and from Ireland from outside the EU”.

He added: “The amendments will bridge that security gap.”

• Paul Hosford is Acting Political Editor.