Media

9^th March 2015: Total flights in Irish airspace increased by 8.7% in February 2015 compared to the same month last year. Ireland’s en route air traffic surged strongly ahead in February, with growth of 9.2%. During the same month, Dublin Airport continued its upward trend and recorded growth of 11.2% with an average of 449 daily commercial movements. Flights using the IAA’s North Atlantic Communications service also increased by 2.8%.

[Note: En route traffic is comprised of flights that pass through Irish-controlled airspace but do not land and the IAA’s North Atlantic Communications Centre provides essential high frequency (HF) communications radio services to aircraft on the North Atlantic. Up to 90% of all daily transatlantic air traffic is safely managed by the IAA through Irish-controlled airspace, which functions as a strategic gateway airspace between Europe and North America]

There were 19,531 en route traffic movements and 27,855 North Atlantic Communications flights during February 2015. There was an average of 1,272 daily flights during February 2015, with the busiest day being 13th February with 1,474 flights in Irish airspace.

In terms of international arrivals and departures, commercial terminal traffic at Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports was up by a robust 8% in February 2015, when compared to 2014. Individually, the February 2015 figures for the three State airports, when compared to the same month in the previous year are:

• Dublin up by 11.2% with an average of 449 daily commercial movements.
• Cork down by 6.2%, with an average of 43 commercial daily movements.
• Shannon down by 8.6% with an average of 37 commercial daily movements.

An analysis of the February 2015 data, from EUROCONTROL, also shows that six of Ireland’s Top ten “Airport Pairs” (from a billing perspective) showed growth (or neutral growth), when compared to February 2014. The most significant growth was for London City – Dublin (+168%)  due to the servcies added by BA and Flybe in October 2014, Paris Charles de Gaulle – Dublin (+9.3%) and Newark – London/Heathrow (5.9%).

In other aviation news, the deadline for entries to the Aviation Industry Awards is fast approaching on 19th March. The Aviation Industry Awards celebrate excellence in the Irish aviation industry, a sector that plays a huge role in the country’s economy with over 40,000 people employed and contributing over €4 billion to national GDP. As home to many leading global aviation businesses, Ireland is positioned as a ‘centre of excellence’ for aviation.

The IAA is the proud sponsor of the Aviation Industry Awards 2015, building on from the tremendous success of the inaugural event last year. This year’s Gala Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday 28th May 2015 at the DoubleTree by Hilton on the Burlington Road (formerly the Burlington Hotel) in Dublin.  The deadline for entries is Thursday 19th March 2015.

Eamonn Brennan, Chief Executive, Irish Aviation Authority said: “The Aviation Industry Awards champion excellence in our industry and the IAA is proud to support them. We recognise the vital importance of aviation to the Irish economy and the need to celebrate the achievements of those people working to ensure a safe and efficient industry and create jobs.  The success and immense growth of the aviation sector in Ireland would not be possible without the outstanding work carried out by individuals and businesses across the entire island, from airlines to airports, pilots, engineers, finance and leasing companies, support services, researchers, training institutions, safety and security professionals, and, of course, the general aviation enthusiasts. There was a huge level of interest in last year’s Awards, with 130 entries by 70 high caliber companies. I encourage all individuals and businesses that have made an outstanding contribution to the sector to get involved and submit a nomination online”.

Click here for more detailed flight statistics on the IAA’s website.

For media queries, please contact:

Tony Lane

Communications Executive

Irish Aviation Authority

Tel: +353 1 603 1199 

Mob: +353 86 7911864