Media

11^th February 2015: Irish air traffic got off to a flying start in 2015 with total flights in January increasing by 4.9% when compared to the same month last year.

Ireland’s en route traffic (flights that pass through Irish airspace but do not land) increased by a robust 5.7% in January 2015, while the IAA’s North Atlantic Communications service (Europe / North America flights) recorded an increase of 1.1%. In total there were 20,530 en route traffic movements and 29,737 North Atlantic Communications flights during January 2015.

Eamonn Brennan, Chief Executive Irish Aviation Authority said: “We are delighted to see air traffic in 2015 getting off to a strong start, building on the very encouraging gains of last year. Up to 90% of transatlantic air traffic passes through Irish-controlled airspace, so I am particularly pleased with the strong growth in our en route traffic. On the domestic front, terminal air traffic at Dublin and Shannon continues to increase strongly with growth of 7.2% and 6.4% recorded respectively in January”.  

In terms of domestic air traffic, the combined figure for commercial flights at Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports was up by 4.8% in January 2015. Individually, the January 2015 figures for the three State airports, when compared to the same month in the previous year are:

• Dublin up 7.2% with an average of 424 commercial daily movements.
• Cork down 16.3%, with an average of 40 commercial daily movements.
• Shannon up 6.4% with an average of 40 commercial daily movements.

There was an average of 1,206 daily flights in Irish-controlled airspace during January 2015. The busiest day was 4^th January with 1,418 flights.

The IAA has also had some important announcements in recent weeks. The IAA has confirmed that it will be the proud exclusive sponsor of the Aviation Industry Awards 2015 for a second year running. The Awards champion excellence in the Irish aviation industry and the deadline for entries is Thursday 19th March 2015. This year’s Gala Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday 28th May 2015 at the Double Tree by Hilton on the Burlington Road (formerly the Burlington Hotel) in Dublin.

Finally, in early February, Aireon (developer of the world’s first space-based global air traffic surveillance system, announced that its new service will be managed from IAA’s North Atlantic Communications Centre in Ballygirreen on the west coast of Ireland. The service will be operational in 2018. Aireon ALERT is a crucial aircraft tracking service, which will greatly assist airlines, aviation authorities, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and Search-and-Rescue (SAR) agencies during emergency situations. At their request, on a 24/7 basis, ALERT will be able to provide users with the immediate ‘last known’ location of aircraft with tremendous accuracy.

Eamonn Brennan said, “Aireon ALERT offers precisely the kind of service currently being sought after by aviation bodies to help locate missing aircraft as fast as possible. I’m particularly pleased with the decision to locate the Aireon ALERT facility at the IAA’s North Atlantic Communications Centre in Ballygirreen. Ireland's unique history as a North Atlantic Air Traffic Control service provider since the 1930s, in tandem with our position as a politically neutral state and our reputation for fairness for all users, will ensure the success of Aireon ALERT.”

For more detailed flight statistics, click here.

For media queries, please contact:

Tony Lane,

Communications Executive,

IAA,

Tel: +353 86 791 1864.