An online petition has been launched in response to proposed timetable changes to the Public Service Obligation (PSO) air service between Donegal and Dublin airports.
The petition was created by Mary Coyle, who manages Donegal Cancer Flights and Services. They provide subsidised flights for hundreds of cancer patients across Donegal.
The group are concerned for the impact especially for cancer patients and essential medical appointments.
They said that proposed timetable change to the current timetable risk making same-day medical travel impractical, forcing patients into overnight stays, extra cost and unnecessary strain.
“This route is not a luxury, it is a lifeline,” the petition reads.
“It is funded as a PSO because Donegal is geographically isolated and not adequately served by alternative transport. The Department of Transport has described the service as: ‘providing twice daily two-way air services facilitating same-day return trips from Donegal’.”
“That is the standard the timetable must meet.”
The current PSO contract with Emerald Airlines was due to expire in February last year, however at the end of 2024 it was announced that it would operate for an additional one-year period up until February 25, 2026.
The contract, which provides twice daily two-way air services, is an essential air link between the North West and Dublin in the absence of a motorway or rail network in the region.
With a new public procurement process underway it was revealed that the flight times could change and the afternoon flight could be lost entirely.
The petition, launched today, has already been signed by over 500 people, including patients, families, healthcare workers, community members and supporters of Donegal Cancer Flights and Services.
They are calling on the Minister for Transport to guarantee in writing that genuine same-day return medical access is a mandatory, non-negotiable PSO requirement, and that any tender, contract award or timetable approval must be assessed against that core purpose.
They are also asking that the minister protect workable flight times that actually deliver same-day access, including early Dublin arrivals, late Donegal returns, and the retention of the current midday service, which must remain within the PSO schedule.
The group said the government must ring-fence the midday flight as an essential PSO connection, and guarantee it will not be removed, downgraded or shifted outside the PSO in any contract change, timetable revision or “commercial” reclassification.
The final point made to government is to ensure full transparency and accountability in how PSO timetables are proposed and approved.
“Bottom line: If a Donegal cancer patient cannot travel to Dublin for treatment and return home the same day, the PSO has failed its purpose.”
Sign the petition here.
