THE deportation of a single asylum-seeker earlier this year cost more than €35,000, the Department of Justice said.

Numerous attempts had been made by gardaí to deport the Georgian immigrant but it proved impossible to take him on a scheduled flight after he violently threatened gardaí who were involved in escorting him.

Gardaí said he had been repeatedly abusive and dangerous and that taking him on a normal airline would have proven impossible.

The Georgian immigrant was one of 193 asylum-seekers removed from the state so far this year at a total cost of €520,925.

The average cost of deporting failed asylum-seekers is now in the region of €2,700, although that does not include the cost of garda overtime and subsistence.

According to the Department of Justice, a total of €927,091 was spent last year on deportations, primarily to Africa and eastern Europe.

The deportation of the Georgian man was not the most expensive of recent times – the removal of a Ghanaian asylum-seeker last year cost €151,900. Gardaí said the convicted criminal had been flown back to Africa on board a specially chartered private aeroplane.

The department said: "In both cases, attempts to remove the men by scheduled flight were unsuccessful due to their violent reactions to their deportation. For safety reasons, they were subsequently removed by charter flights."

Gardaí said it was particularly important that abusive and violent asylum-seekers were removed from the state because it could set an ­example.

One officer said: "If a person kicks up a fuss every time we get them on board an aeroplane and we back down, then a lot more of them would start doing it.

"The type of person who threatens to blow up an aircraft or tries to kill gardaí or other passengers is not exactly welcome here anyway."

During the past five years, a total of €7.3m has been spent removing asylum-seekers from the state on flights back to their home states.