Ireland deports 24 Romanian men with convictions on charter flight

Ireland deported 24 Romanian men with criminal convictions to Bucharest on a charter flight from Dublin Airport on Sunday, 18 October 2026. Eighteen were taken directly from prison custody, and The Irish Times reported that all 24 face bans on re-entering Ireland for periods of up to 10 years.

The men were aged between 24 and 57. The flight left Dublin Airport at 4:25pm and arrived in Bucharest at 8pm Irish time. The Irish Times reported that the six men who were not in prison had been arrested at locations around Ireland and detained before their removal.

Why the men were removed under EU free-movement rules

As Romanian nationals, the men are EU citizens. The Irish Times explained that EU free-movement rules permit a member state to remove a citizen of another member state when its authorities consider that person a serious threat to public safety, wellbeing or public policy. O’Callaghan told RTÉ that restricting an EU citizen’s freedom of movement was a measure he did not take lightly, but that he would enforce removal orders for people he considered a danger to the public.

Flight cost and 2026 removal figures

Garda personnel, medical staff, interpreters and a human rights observer accompanied the men. The aircraft cost €182,270, excluding VAT, according to The Irish Times. Minister of State Colm Brophy said most Romanian nationals living in Ireland respect its laws and contribute positively to society.

Brophy said six earlier charter operations had removed 221 people in 2026, bringing the charter total to 245, including 91 EU citizens removed on grounds of criminality. RTÉ separately reported that this flight brought the number removed under the Free Movement Directive this year to 148. Those figures describe different categories of removals.