Charter flight used to deport 32 people to Georgia

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Thirty-two people have been deported to Georgia, the Minister for Justice has confirmed, in what he described as a “significant start” towards a “more effective immigration system”.

The people had previously received deportation orders and were transported by chartered flight from Dublin to Tbilisi on Thursday night.

The returnees were accompanied on the flight by Garda personnel, medical staff, an interpreter and a human rights observer.

Jim O’Callaghan said the flight has landed and the people are “back safely in Georgia”.

It was the first operation conducted under a contract signed by the Government in November, which allows for charter aircraft for deportations.

The Department of Justice said further operations will be conducted.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “A central priority for me and this Government is that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. People are entitled to have confidence in our immigration system and there must be consequences for individuals who refuse to leave the state when they are ordered to do so.

“We have a rules-based system for international protection applicants. For rules to have meaning, they must be enforced.

“Today is a significant start in ensuring that deportation orders are enforced and part of a more effective immigration system generally. There will be further flights scheduled in the future.”

The department said that charter flights provide an alternative to commercial flights and can be more appropriate in circumstances when a group of individuals are being removed to the same destination.

It said enforced removals are carried out as “a measure of last resort” when the person concerned has not removed themselves from the State or availed of “assisted voluntary return measures”.

It added that it considers voluntary return to be the preferred option for applicants refused international protection, involving the person leaving of their own accord.

If someone leaves voluntarily, no deportation order is issued. In 2024, the number of voluntary returns increased to 934 compared with 213 in 2023.

Meanwhile, 2,403 deportation orders were signed in 2024 – representing a 180 per cent year-on-year increase.

In 2024, 1,116 people departed the state under various mechanisms including voluntary return and enforced deportation.

This year more than 700 deportation orders have been signed and more than 240 people have departed.