A critical air service linking Ireland’s remote northwest with the capital faces potential disruption, raising alarms among cancer patients and medical advocates. The publicly subsidized Donegal-Dublin flight route, operating since 2004 under a Public Service Obligation (PSO), may undergo significant timetable alterations when its current contract expires on February 25.
The existing schedule features an early morning departure from Donegal to Dublin with an afternoon return service, enabling same-day medical travel for patients requiring specialized treatment unavailable in their region. Emerging proposals suggest eliminating the afternoon return flight, potentially stranding patients in Dublin overnight.
Kathleen Griffin, an ovarian cancer survivor who has utilized the service six times during her three-year treatment journey, emphasized the route’s necessity. “The flight transforms a potentially six-hour painful car journey into a manageable 90-minute trip,” she explained. “When you’re unwell, the last thing you want to contemplate is exhausting travel arrangements.”
Mary Coyle of Donegal Cancer Flights & Services charity revealed the organization assists over 500 clients, including cancer patients, kidney transplant recipients, and children with life-limiting conditions. The charity has suspended flight bookings beyond February 25 due to the uncertainty surrounding the route’s future operation.
“These flights constitute an absolute lifeline for patients already undergoing tremendous physical and financial strain,” Coyle stated. Without the afternoon return option, patients would face prohibitive accommodation costs or rely on already overstretched ground transportation services that currently serve multiple medical facilities across northwestern Ireland.
The Department for Transport in the Republic of Ireland has been contacted for clarification regarding the route’s future operation under the new procurement process. Emerald Airlines, currently operating the route as a regional subsidiary of Aer Lingus, will continue service until the February contract expiration.