12 people were refused permission to land at Kerry Airport by gardaí in the first nine months of the year.
Figures from An Garda Síochána were provided in the Dáil by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, following a parliamentary question from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín.
People can be refused permission to land at ports of entry into Ireland if they don’t have a valid passport or another relevant travel document.
The figures show that up to 30 September this year, 12 people were refused permission to land at Kerry Airport by An Garda Síochána.
That figure was fewer than ten in 2023, and no refusals were noted for the years 2020, 2021, or 2022.
This includes people who have been refused permission to land as they were not in possession of a valid passport, or other equivalent document.
Kerry Airport had more refusals to land than Cobh, Cork Port, Limerick, Waterford Port, and Knock Airport in the first nine months of this year.
The figure, however, is significantly larger at the major ports and airports across the country, with over 3,800 people refused permission to land at Dublin Airport up to the end of September this year.
Permission to land at ports of entry other than Dublin Airport is the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee told the Dáil her Department and the GNIB work closely with airlines on a range of measures to ensure passengers have valid documentation when boarding flights.
Border Management Unit officials are also available 24/7 to assist airlines with any immigration queries.
Minister McEntee said the priority when a person is refused leave to land is to return them on the next available return flight to the last point of embarkation.
She said the majority of those who present without appropriate documentation and refused leave to land seek to enter the international protection process, and the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration means applications in this process will have to be completed in three months, including those who misled authorities.
Gardaí told Radio Kerry the figures provided is all that they can disclose on the refusals to land at Kerry Airport in 2023 or 2024, and they cannot provide details on specific cases.
