The IAA provides air traffic management services in the 451,000 km2 of airspace controlled by Ireland. This airspace forms a crucial gateway for air traffic between Europe and North America.
The IAA provides air traffic management services including:
- Air Traffic Control
- Flight information
- Alerting and search and rescue services
- Aeronautical information
- North Atlantic Communications
The IAA employs over 300 air traffic controllers Dublin, Cork and Shannon and 50 radio officers at Ballygirreen, Co. Clare, who ensure the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. This is achieved using various tools, such as radar, radio and on-board aircraft systems.
2016 saw over 1.1 million flights managed by Irish air traffic controllers and radio officers in Irish airspace. The standard separation between aircraft is 1,000 feet in the vertical plane or five nautical miles in the lateral plane, although there are some exceptions.
For more information, see the Guide to Air Traffic Management Operations.
The IAA operates the COOPANS air traffic management system, which is one of the most advanced in the world. The versatile functionalities of the COOPANS system enables our air traffic controllers to maintain the maximum levels of safety, while increasing capacity to meet our customers' demands. COOPANS has been operational at Shannon and Dublin since 2011.
