Complaint over DAA advert upheld by the Standards Authority

Irish Post

6 days ago

THE DUBLIN Airport Authority (DAA) is facing criticism on two fronts following a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) and the disclosure of nearly €7 million spent on failed planning applications.
The ASAI has found that a radio advertisement produced by DAA and voiced by broadcaster Marty Whelan breached advertising rules.
The ad, which formed part of the airport's 'Lift Everyone' campaign, claimed that Dublin Airport was aiming to 'halve airport emissions by 2030.'
The authority upheld a complaint from MEP Lynn Boylan, who argued that the ad misled listeners by not clarifying that the target excluded emissions from flights, which account for the majority of the airport's carbon footprint.
Four other complainants, including the Children's Rights Over Flights campaign, raised similar concerns.
Although the DAA's emissions reduction efforts apply only to sources under its direct control—such as its buildings, vehicle fleet, and ground operations—aircraft-related emissions, which make up approximately 90 percent of the airport's total emissions, were not part of the goal.
Boylan argued that the average listener would likely interpret the phrase 'airport emissions' to include aircraft emissions.
A survey she conducted supported this claim and contributed to the ASAI's reversal of its initial rejection of the complaint.
DAA has accepted the ASAI's decision and said it had removed what it called a 'perceived ambiguity' from the ad.
It defended the use of the term 'airport emissions' as standard within the industry and highlighted ongoing initiatives such as switching to electric vehicles and constructing a solar farm to generate 10 percent of the airport's electricity needs.
Separately, DAA has confirmed that it has spent almost €7 million on planning and environmental consultancy services related to multiple development projects that failed to receive approval.
The figure was disclosed following an intervention by the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information.
The expenditure includes work on a proposal to raise Dublin Airport's passenger capacity to 36 million annually, which was rejected by Fingal County Council earlier this year.
The council described the application as 'inadequate and misleading' and noted that DAA had not engaged in the available pre-planning process.
Other rejected applications included plans for a 950-space staff car park and an aircraft observation platform.
The council said the applications did not comply with several key requirements of the Planning and Development Regulations.
DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs criticised the local authority's handling of the planning process, accusing it of 'flip-flopping.'