A Government agency has put an estimated price tag of €5 million on the contract to provide charter flights to deport those who no longer have permission to remain here.
In the new tender by the Office of Government Procurement seeking a firm to operate the service, the estimated €5 million is for a three-year contract that includes any options and renewals.
Along with providing the charter flights, the operator is to also provide ground support, catering and, when required medical assistance, for passengers.
Explaining the background to the request for tender, the tender documentation states that since 2019, there has been no charter operations for return purposes carried out by the State.
The tender - which was published on the e-tenders website on Wednesday - states: “This was primarily due to a moratorium on return operations during the pandemic. The State now wishes to resume such operations.”
The tender states that the State “is experiencing unprecedented numbers of individuals claiming international protection or seeking entry to the State by other means”.
It states that “it is clear not all of these individuals will be given permission to remain and it has been the experience of the State that in some cases those without permission do not leave voluntarily”.
The tender states that in order to address this challenge, "the State has substantially boosted the processing capacities of the Immigration Services".
It states that the State anticipates that 2024 "should begin to see an increasing demand for return operations with the demand growing in subsequent years".
The ‘Charter Flights and Associated Support Services for the purpose of Return Operations’ tender explains that as of now, the State makes use of commercial carriers for the purposes of these returns.
It states: "However, going forward the State expects to be in a position to identify for return, a sufficient number of individuals and family groups from specific countries of origin, to an extent that the use of charter flight operations would become economically viable.”
The deportation flights will all take off from Dublin airport and the tender states that operations may generally involve the return by air of between 1 and 100+ persons per flight and may typically involve destinations such as Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, although aircraft to other destinations worldwide may be required from time to time.
The tender states that “the frequency of charter operations, the numbers to be carried and the destinations will depend on the operational needs prevailing at the time”.
The launch of the tender comes against the background of 860 deportation orders being signed this year and over 295 people have departed from the State under various mechanisms up to 17 June 2024 through forced return and voluntary return.
According to Department of Justice figures, the number of enforced deportations has increased by 163 per cent compared to the same period last year - 50 enforced deportations to date in 2024 compared to 19 enforced by this time in 2023.
The number of persons availing of voluntary returns has more than doubled compared in 2023, from 97 to 227 - an increase of 134 per cent.
Referring to the launch of the request for tender earlier this week, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee stated she was “committed to ensuring the State’s immigration processes are robust, effective, and fair. The capacity of deportation and return processes are essential elements of any immigration system”
She said: "Providing access to charter flights will be a useful additional operational and enforcement resource for An Garda Síochána when the use of commercial carriers is not appropriate. Subject to the successful completion of the tender process and other relevant arrangements, I intend to see charter flights operational by the end of the year.”
The deadline for the submission of tenders is July 17th.
