Media

Irish air traffic control-attributable delays were extremely low in 2012 with just 00.01% of flights affected. The figures for delays for aircraft flying to and from destinations in Ireland in 2012 constitute some of the lowest on record for the Irish Aviation Authority.  Delays attributable to the IAA averaged just 0.015 minutes per flight during 2012.

This extremely low level of delays was made possible by the IAA’s ongoing commitment to innovation and enhancement. This includes investment in the development of a state-of-the art air traffic management system (COOPANS); cooperation with our partners in the UK-Ireland Functional Airspace Block (FAB) and through innovative projects such as TMA 2012, which greatly streamlines Dublin airspace by sequencing aircraft to land in a more efficient way and by creating new, more direct air routes.

As well as significantly reducing delays, the above initiatives work to reduce aircraft track miles, fuel burn, CO2 emissions and passenger flight times. In 2012, it is estimated that the UK-Ireland FAB helped deliver €27m of enabled savings to airlines, including 25,000 tonnes of reduced fuel and 80,000 tonnes of reduced CO2 emissions, while the TMA 2012 project is expected to save 85 kilograms of fuel per individual flight at Dublin in 2013.

IAA CEO, Mr. Eamonn Brennan said: ‘The IAA strives to make Irish air traffic control ever more efficient while enhancing its already excellent safety standards. The extremely low level of air traffic control-attributable delays in 2012 is a testament to the considerable innovation and enhancement we have introduced to our air traffic control systems in recent years’.

The extremely low level of delays can be seen against a background of increasing arrivals and departures. Commercial terminal traffic for Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports increased significantly by 3.3% in January 2013, when compared to January 2012. This growth in international arrivals and departures was largely driven by traffic increases in Dublin Airport. This is the sixth month in a row that the Authority has observed continued growth in this sector of traffic

Individually, the January 2013 figures for the three State airports, when compared to the same month in the previous year are:

• Dublin up by 5.6%, with an average of 381 daily commercial movements.
• Cork down by 1.4%, with an average of 49 commercial daily movements.
• Shannon down 10.7%, with an average of 37 commercial daily movements.

There was a marginal decrease of 1.60% in Ireland’s en route traffic movements (flights that pass through Irish airspace but do not land) during January 2013, in comparison to January 2012.  Similarly, North Atlantic Communications flights (Europe /North America flights) saw a decrease of 1.24% in January 2013, when compared to January 2012.

Total flights in Irish airspace have decreased marginally by 1.10%, when compared to January 2012.  There was an average of 1,187 daily flights during January 2013.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Tony lane

Tel: +353 1 603 1199 / Mob: +353 86 7911864

Email: tony.lane@iaa.ie

View Traffic Statistics in full