This Airport Received 23,431 Complaints in a Year, 90% From a Single Angry Person
Airport noise reports typically rise and fall in tandem with the introduction of new routes or increased flight schedules. Dublin Airport’s 2022 logs showed those standard patterns, but they also revealed a remarkable anomaly. Nearly all the complaints originated from a single individual. Their constant submissions produced a spike in data that would typically represent feedback from a broad group of residents.
An Annual Log With an Unexpected Twist
Image via iStockphoto/Alan Currie
Dublin Airport’s operator, DAA, recorded 26,196 aircraft noise complaints in 2022, a figure that appeared unusually high compared to its typical totals. After separating one resident’s submissions, the numbers shifted sharply. The remaining data showed 2,765 complaints from 608 individuals, a pattern that matched the airport’s rebound in traffic and the late-summer activation of its north runway.
The outlier didn’t submit a few dozen notes during a bad week. They filed 23,431 entries in one year, averaging about 64 submissions per day. July reached its peak at 2,616 complaints. August followed with similar consistency, including 2,022 sent by the same resident.
Records linked the individual to Ongar, a suburb roughly twelve miles from the airport. Noise complaints traditionally come from areas directly under flight paths, such as Portmarnock, Swords, the Ward, and St. Margaret’s. Ongar’s location further fueled public curiosity after the figures circulated.
The Pattern Started Years Earlier
The 2022 surge wasn’t the first time this person dominated the log. They submitted more than 12,000 complaints in 2021. The total reached over 6,000 in 2020.
Each entry required a formal submission through DAA’s website or phone line. The online form alone included multiple fields: aircraft type, time, location, and incident notes. The volume suggested a level of consistency rarely seen in airport noise reporting.
DAA declined to comment on the individual’s identity but continued to point to community engagement initiatives and noise-monitoring technology as part of its public response.
A Wider Rise in Complaints Still Existed
Image via Canva/Imágenes de Juan Ruiz
Removing the outlier did not erase the broader trend. Noise issues climbed as travel rebounded after pandemic restrictions eased. The north runway, which opened in August 2022 following a significant investment, altered flight patterns in ways that impacted surrounding neighborhoods. DAA later confirmed that some departures unexpectedly passed over residential areas.
Airports across Europe see similar spikes when runways open or traffic shifts. Heathrow, for instance, regularly fields concerns about night arrivals despite its scheduled quiet period. Noise sensitivity shapes community relations around aviation hubs, and Dublin’s figures fit those patterns once the serial filer’s data was pulled out.
Large datasets often smooth out extreme behavior. Noise logs work differently because each complaint counts as a single event. A resident who reports every aircraft movement can outweigh hundreds of occasional submissions. Dublin Airport’s 2022 report served as a clear example of how a single participant can significantly impact annual totals.
The distribution also highlighted the importance of operators distinguishing between broad community feedback and isolated reporting streaks. Without that breakdown, the numbers signal a dramatic shift in neighborhood sentiment.