Overview
- A specially chartered aircraft removed 42 South African nationals, including nine men, 18 women and 15 children, on an overnight flight from Dublin to Johannesburg.
- The group travelled under escort by gardaí and was accompanied by medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer, and two deportees had prior convictions in Ireland.
- The Department of Justice recorded the aircraft provision cost at €735,000 excluding VAT for a return trip and this was the fourth charter deportation this year.
- Officials say the operation is part of a broader enforcement push that has seen 2,108 deportation orders signed so far this year and more frequent use of charter flights following 205 removals across six charters in 2025.
- Ministers stress Ireland welcomes migrants who enter by legal pathways and contribute to society while underscoring that stronger enforcement is intended to maintain public confidence in immigration rules and compliance.