‘No respect’ - 15,000 Donegal voices ignored as new PSO flight contract signed off

The manager of the Donegal Cancer Flights and Services admits she was not officially informed of the signing of a new Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract for flights between Donegal and Dublin.

Mary Coyle of Donegal Cancer Flights and Services expressed concern that changes to the PSO route will cut off a “medical lifeline” and “genuine same-day access” for cancer patients and others, stating that over 500 patients avail of the service.

The Secretary General of the Department of Transport, Ken Spratt, put pen to paper on the new contract, which will come into effect on March 29, to cut the number of Emerald Airlines return flights between Carrickfinn and Dublin from three to two a day.

A protest was held at the airport on Saturday, and a petition that was launched beforehand was available to sign online and in person at the group's base at Ionad Naomh Pádraig Dobhar, An Bun Beag, which gathered more than 15,000 signatures. 

“We are extremely disappointed,” Ms Coyle tells DonegalLive. “For patients and clients, this is devastating news.”

“Over 15,000 signatories haven’t been listened to or heard. It is obvious that the Minister for Transport [Darragh O'Brien] is not listening to the people of Donegal. I was informed through the media by a journalist in Dublin.”

Members of Donegal Cancer Flights & Services will travel to Dublin on Wednesday at noon to formally hand over the petition to the Minister.

“As of this time, we have no confirmation of who we are meeting, which shows a total disregard for voluntary workers and people with illnesses,” Ms Coyle continues. “This shows no respect or compassion for the people of Donegal. 

“We will ask if this contract can be changed, and if it can, why hasn’t it been done already? It makes no sense. They seem to care more about the airline than the people; that is not what a PSO is for.”

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Donegal Airport confirmed they were notified this afternoon of the intention of the Department of Transport to execute a new contract “despite our written request to the Minister for Transport to hold off on the execution of any contract until Donegal Airport has concluded legal advice on the issue.”

Garry Martin, chairman of Donegal Airport, said: “We are extremely disappointed that our request has not been acceded to by the Department of Transport. We have attempted to engage with the Department of Transport officials throughout the tender process, but have been advised consistently by them since October 2025 that they could not discuss the tender with us until the contract had been signed.  

“It was known by the Department officials since receipt of the tender in October that there were material changes proposed to the existing contract. The aircraft was no longer going to reside overnight in Donegal Airport, which was the case for the preceding 21 years and which gave confidence to time-critical users of the certainty of departure on the morning flight.

“The midday flights would no longer be provided, replaced instead by a 6:30am flight arriving from Dublin and an 8:30pm flight leaving Donegal. The loss of the midday rotation is inexplicable as this was important to a range of business, health and tourism-related visitors, to and from Donegal and was performing very well on a year-round basis. 

“The replacement of the afternoon flights with the aforementioned flights, in the view of the Board, neither meets the needs of customers nor makes any commercial sense. The Board is of the view that there will be little use made of these proposed flights, despite the substantial monies being provided to the airline to run these. 

“On January 13, Airport management obtained information, incidentally, through airline crews discussing changes to their rosters, that the aircraft would no longer be based in Donegal overnight as part of the new contract. 

“This was the first indication that the Airport had of a material change to existing timelines. As management had no avenue to discuss this with Department officials, as they refused to engage with us, we have, daily, since that date, worked consistently through political links to the Minister for Transport, as this was the only avenue we had open to us to highlight our concerns. 

“We have had numerous meetings and engagements through these channels in the intervening period up to and including this morning and wish to acknowledge and thank Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher for assisting our efforts in that. This included our Chairman, discussing in detail the concerns that the Airport had, with the Minister for Transport & the Secretary General of the Department on February 4.

“Our primary argument throughout this process has been consistent, in that the needs of the customer have not been taken into sufficient consideration by the Department and that the submissions made by the Airport, in advance of the tender process, have been selectively ignored or misinterpreted by the Department in their assessment of the tender received.  

“We do not believe that the contract being executed meets the spirit or intent of a PSO route. It does not meet the needs of the passengers using the service, nor does it maximise connectivity to the region.  On the face of it, it appears that it favours the requirements of the airline, to maximise income and profitability, at the expense of customer service and at the cost to the taxpayer.

“The Board is currently continuing to take legal advice, and we hope to conclude our deliberations in the next few days. The objective of the Board is to run an airport and flights that meet the needs of its customers, in Donegal and further afield, and this remains central to our thinking on how we approach the situation that the Department is now forcing upon us. 

“We truly appreciate the patience of our customers and the groundswell of community support that we have received in recent days in supporting our efforts in having the Department of Transport respond to the needs of the people in Donegal.

“Once we conclude the review of legal advice on this, the Board will make a considered decision on what, on balance, is the best approach to this going forward and will make that position known to our customers and the Department of Transport.”

Local councillors and TDs have been highlighting the importance of the service and calling for it to remain. Deputy Gallagher said the decision is ”a serious error that ignores the real and urgent needs of the people of Donegal,” while Pearse Doherty TD said the “decision is a slap in the face” to the people of the county. 

Deputy Gallagher further confirmed that he has been advised that the existing flight schedule will continue to operate until Sunday, March 29, with the initial date given for the reschedule being February 25.

“This contract is deeply flawed, and the decision to proceed with it in full knowledge of those flaws is deeply concerning,” Deputy Gallagher said.

“It reduces flexibility, weakens reliability, and removes services that are relied upon every day by cancer patients, those accessing vital medical services, students, businesses and tourism. Proceeding regardless shows a disturbing disconnect from the realities facing people in the North West.”

The Deputy said it is particularly troubling that the contract has been signed while the Department has simultaneously stated that the new schedule will now be closely monitored and reviewed after implementation.

“It defies common sense to lock people into a contract first and promise to review its impact later. Ordinary people will bear the consequences while the Department evaluates what should have been obvious from the outset.”

Deputy Gallagher also expressed serious concern about the removal of a Donegal-based aircraft, which has underpinned the reliability of the service for more than 20 years.

“This decision significantly increases the risk of delays and cancellations and undermines confidence in a service that people depend on to access hospitals, specialist care, and onward connections in Dublin. Reliability is not optional — it is essential,” he added. 

Deputy Gallagher stressed that the PSO is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer and must be designed around public need, not airline convenience.

“Despite a circa €20 million taxpayer subsidy, with the airline also retaining all passenger airfares, this PSO contract delivers fewer services and reduced connectivity - directly undermining access to cancer care and other critical medical services for the people of Donegal,” he said.

Deputy Gallagher said he will closely monitor passenger usage on the early morning (6.30am) Dublin–Donegal flight and the late evening (8.30pm) return service to Dublin, which he believes risk becoming phantom flights.

“These services are funded by the taxpayer yet are likely to operate with negligible passenger numbers. If that proves to be the case, it will represent a further misuse of public funds and a failure of this contract to deliver real value.”

He added that the North West has no nearby Cancer Centre of Excellence and that PSO flights were originally introduced to offset the long distances people must travel in the absence of rail or motorway connections.

Deputy Gallagher concluded by stating that he will continue to lobby for the immediate restoration of the afternoon services, which are critical for cancer patients and others attending hospital appointments and which provide the flexibility and same-day return options that people in Donegal depend upon.

Teachta Doherty said, “This decision is a slap in the face to the people of Donegal. The Government has signed off on a PSO contract that removes essential flights that people rely on every single day. This is not serving the public. It is doing the exact opposite.

“These flights are critical for workers, for families, for businesses and, most importantly, for people accessing healthcare. Removing the afternoon flight and having a later evening flight will have a massive and damaging impact right across the county.

“What makes this decision even more disgraceful is that it was signed knowing that a delegation from Donegal was travelling to Dublin tomorrow to meet with the Government.

“That delegation represents over 500 cancer patients in Donegal. They were coming to hand over a petition signed by more than 15,000 people calling on the Government to protect this service.

“The Government didn’t even have the decency to meet with them before signing this contract. That shows a complete lack of respect for patients, their families and the wider Donegal public.

“For cancer patients, these flights are not a convenience; they are a lifeline. They reduce exhausting journeys, allow people to attend appointments and get home the same day, and ease pressure at an incredibly difficult time in their lives. This decision will make those journeys longer, harder and more stressful. It will hit the very people who can least afford to be hit.

“Once again, Donegal is being treated as an afterthought by this Government, and people here are rightly furious. This is not over. I will be doing everything in my power to stand up for Donegal and for the people who will be so badly affected by this decision. 

“The Government may think this issue will go away, but they are wrong. I will continue to fight this every step of the way.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme