Media

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) today announced that it recorded another significant improvement in its financial performance during 2005. The IAA's Annual Report and Accounts for 2005 show the IAA recorded a profit before tax of EUR16.2 million reflecting a growth in international traffic levels during the year.

The IAA is a commercial semi-State body responsible for the provision of air traffic control services in Irish-controlled airspace and the safety regulation of the Irish civil aviation industry. Revenue primarily comes from charging aircraft which use Irish airspace, the majority of which do not land at Irish airports, but instead comprise en route overflying traffic between Europe and North America.

Turnover increased by 2.6 per cent to EUR127.7 million in 2005, up from EUR124.5 million in 2004. Profit before tax was recorded at EUR16.2 million for the year as compared with EUR14.3 million in the previous year. This reflected the full year of operations for the new air traffic management systems, at Dublin and Shannon, which enable air traffic controllers to handle higher traffic volumes. Traffic levels in each of the Authority's main areas of operations showed an increase over 2004 levels with an average increase of 6.1 per cent.

Key areas of operations were as follows;

• En route traffic (i.e. all traffic using Irish controlled airspace whether landing or en route elsewhere) rose by 5.8 per cent to 277,779 movements.
• Terminal traffic (i.e. aircraft landing at the three State airports) rose by 6.9 per cent to 241,576 movements.
• North Atlantic airspace communications traffic rose by 5.6 per cent to 371,345 contacts. (The IAA radio station at Ballygirreen, Co. Clare provides the vital radio link between air traffic controllers and pilots on the Eastern half of the North Atlantic.)

IAA Chief Executive, Mr. Eamonn Brennan commented: "2005 was a year of many safety and operational achievements for the IAA. These include the commencement of NOTA (Northern Oceanic Transition Area) phase 1 operations, international developments such as a possible Functional Airspace Block in Irish- and UK- controlled airspace, cooperation with Iceland in the delivery of High Frequency (HF) communication services in the Shanwick and Reykjavik Oceanic Control Areas, as well as another significant improvement in the financial performance."

The IAA is currently preparing for the implementation of NOTA phase 2 operations in October of this year. Once implemented, Shannon-based air traffic controllers will provide a full air traffic management service to approximately 250 aircraft which transit this airspace block daily. As a result they will receive more direct routings and make earlier transitions to their optimum cruising levels - all with obvious economic cost savings and benefits.