asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if his attention has been drawn to the long delays in air traffic at Dublin Airport; the plans he has to improve air traffic control facilities there; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Air Traffic Control.
10.
I am fully aware of, and regret, delays to air traffic. Such delays can arise from a variety of causes such as weather, problems with the aircraft or the lack of capacity in the air traffic system as a whole.
The capacity of an air traffic control system is determined by three factors — the amount of air space available, the number of air traffic control and support staff and the range of equipment provided. At present the capacity of the Irish air traffic control system is limited because of a shortage of trained staff and to a lesser extent by equipment inadequacies.
Safety of course is paramount in any air traffic control system. Delays occur when the air traffic control service, in the interests of safety, restrict the amount of traffic operating in the system.
Plans to substantially expand the capacity of the Irish air traffic control system are well in hand. Recruitment of staff has recommenced; 27 have been recruited in recent months and we will continue to recruit additional staff over the next few years. The normal training facilities and programmes have been substantially expanded to maximise the training of both new and existing staff.
I should also mention that a major re-equipment programme for the provision of radar, communications and landing systems at all the State airports is now well in hand and will be completed on schedule in 1992. It should be appreciated that we are not unique in experiencing congestion in the air traffic control system. The welcome traffic growth of recent years has put unprecedented pressure on air traffic control systems throughout Europe. Both here and particularly at European level we are participating fully in the urgent task of expanding the national and international air traffic control systems with a view to eliminating delays as quickly as possible.
Would the Minister agree that flight delays in certain cases have been as high as 90 per cent at Dublin Airport, 75 per cent on a few occasions, and that 40 per cent is the average, most of which is Dublin Airport related and not European? Would he agree further that air traffic control is such a specialist activity that his Department may not be the best equipped to manage this technical activity, that it should not be necessary to be a civil servant to be an air traffic controller, and that this activity will function more efficiently if either transferred to Aer Rianta or set up as a separate State agency?
I reject the 90 per cent figure and, indeed, the 40 per cent figure. The figures in so far as they are officially available indicate they are not in that region.
It is a fact.
There may be hours of days on which there is a particular problem but taken over a period the figures are nothing of that order. Dublin Airport in particular performs substantially better than most comparable airports. I can let the Deputy have a full analysis if he wishes.
In regard to the second point about ATC and its structure I have already announced that I am examining whether the future of ATC is best put into an autonomous structure or retained in the Department. I certainly welcome the Deputy's proposals and suggestions to assist me in proceeding with that inquiry.
I stand over the figures in my first question.
Would the Deputy give his source?
The Minister knows the House is given privilege because it allows Deputies to raise questions without naming people. Is the Minister aware that air traffic controllers have not the same travel privileges as other people working at Dublin Airport? Would he agree that it would lift morale, improve efficiency and generally improve the attitude to flights getting off on time if the same air travel privileges were extended to air traffic controllers as everybody else at Dublin Airport?
I am not aware of any complaint by air traffic controllers as to their travel arrangements.
I am sorry. I want to get to another question.
Let me ask a final supplementary which is relevant to this. Would the Minister agree that ATC at Dublin Airport is hampered by the fact that the airport is located between two military airfields, Gormanstown and Baldonnel, and that military aircraft control in those areas restricts aircraft at certain times flying in and out of the airport?
The Deputy will be aware that the question of military airspace is the difficulty which ATC meets not only here but throughout Europe and it is difficult to resolve because military airspace is a particular situation we have to allow for. I take it the Deputy is not suggesting we move Dublin Airport.