The Dublin Airport operator DAA has apologised to Irish journalist Phelim McAleer over a tweets posted last March.
The airport authority has also settled a defamation action taken by McAleer.
According to reports, the dispute arose after McAleer posted two videos on X showing crowded scenes at Terminal 2, claiming that an emergency had been declared and the terminal was being evacuated.
Responding to the videos, the airport authority published two posts describing McAleer’s claims as "fake news" and "loose online commentary," and confirmed that an evacuation did not take place.
The authority later deleted the posts.
According to The Irish Times, McAleer retained KRW Law and barrister Eamon Dornan before commencing High Court proceedings.
As a result, the airport authority posted a public apology on X, they said: “On 12 March 2026 journalist Phelim McAleer tweeted two videos on X stating that an emergency had been declared and Terminal 2 was being evacuated. daa then tweeted twice about Mr McAleer’s Terminal 2 posts describing his posts as ‘fake news’ and ‘loose online commentary’ and claiming there was no evacuation. daa have deleted both tweets. We accept that Mr McAleer is a reputable journalist and our wording unfairly impugned his professional integrity and we apologise to Mr McAleer.”
