Opening statement of Children’s Rights Over Flights to the Joint Committee on Transport, 18th March 2026 re. the General Scheme of the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026
Thank you all for having us. Children’s Rights Over Flights is an all-volunteer unfunded campaign group, formed directly in response to the campaign by vested interests to lift Dublin Airport’s ‘passenger cap’ to 40 million – which we learned would lead to flight traffic pollution increasing by 22% by 2031, even as climate change and the outlook for our kids worsens. We saw climate harm, pollution and children’s rights repeatedly omitted from national conversation on the cap, so we undertook to change that through our own efforts as citizens. It’s appalling to see a similar attempt to omit these from this Bill also.
We believe this Bill should be withdrawn, and that it should never have been drafted in the first place. In the absence of national aviation policy aligned with best available science, it would remove a key guardrail to curb aviation fossil fuel pollution in Ireland – which is already at record-breaking levels. The increasing gravity of the State-declared Climate Emergency, must be the primary context within which this Bill is considered. Experts warn our children in Ireland – your children, as everywhere, are growing up to face appalling climate harms – malnutrition, up to 7 times more extreme weather events like Storm Eowyn, shorter life expectancy and increased risk of reaching catastrophic tipping points which would destroy our way of life forever. Fossil fuel pollution is a profound threat to children’s fundamental right to grow, and this Bill will lead to major increases in fossil fuel pollution.
Unbelievably, there is no evidence of evaluation of what fossil fuel emissions and climate impact this Bill could have, despite its aim to remove the cap outright. As reinforced by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment the proposal to lift the cap has yet to include an adequate, comprehensive, scientifically-based assessment of environmental and climate impacts. In this light, how can this Bill be considered fit to proceed?
Head 5 a) does not appear to be evidence-based in relation to purported economic factors. As an example, there is no evidence of evaluation of economic implications of outgoing tourism if the cap were removed. We have a major travel deficit by which billions more euro leave Ireland with Irish tourists flying abroad than is brought in by visitors. Data for 2023 alone indicate this as equalling 5.1 Billion Euro, equating to 1% of GDP. How has this not been evaluated?
Reference to ‘serious harm’ in the Bill cannot be deemed valid unless due, balanced consideration is given to the serious harm of increasing aviation pollution, to our climate, health, children’s rights and welfare, and related economic implications of all.
Similarly, no claims about the ‘public interest’ can reasonably be made given absence of any evidence of consideration of the ‘public interest’ in the context of climate change or children’s best interests.
The extraordinary implications of Head 12 – that climate obligations set out under the ‘Climate Act’ would be disapplied, are wholly unacceptable and shocking. As adults rationally concerned about climate harms facing children, we are incredulous that their Government would attempt to disconnect this reality from this Bill, which would directly enable major increases to fossil fuel emissions.
We respectfully ask the Committee to call for:
- this Bill to be withdrawn,
- a comprehensive, independent, evidence-based review of the apparent assumptions underpinning the Bill and of its implications for climate, human health and children’s rights, and
- for a halt to the Government plan to remove the passenger cap.
Aviation fossil fuel pollution is not magical – it contributes to worsening climate change and related harms, as all fossil fuel pollution. The State has a duty to protect children from climate harms, refrain from retrogressive measures that are less protective of them, and prioritise rapid and effective emissions reductions to protect their rights and welfare- as acknowledged by the Minister for Transport himself.
That instead their Government is seeking to wilfully enable increased fossil fuel pollution from Dublin Airport, is clearly directly opposing this duty. This isn’t hard to understand, nor is it hard to understand it as fundamentally wrong. Children understand, and in the absence of their inclusion at any stage in the pursuit of this Bill, we believe it fitting to close with the views of a 10 year old who wrote to his local TDs to say –
“I don’t want you to lift the passenger cap. These are my reasons:
If the cap is lifted it will release thousands of tonnes of pollution into the air. Pollution is bad for people all around the world but if you lift the cap it will only get worse, causing breathing problems and dirty air. Climate change is getting worse. When I grow up, I want to live a good and safe life. So please, please don’t lift the passenger cap.“
Thank you again for your time.
Children's Rights Over Flights 
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