The ministerial air transport service, MATS, provides the Government and the President with an independent, flexible and effective air transport service to assist in meeting national and international obligations. The service is more flexible than commercial air travel in that it is not bound to set routes, timetables or schedules. This flexibility can be very important in a wide variety of situations. For example, where EU meetings end up taking longer than originally expected, it is vital that departure times can be altered as required at short notice. This helps Ministers to fulfil to the greatest extent possible all of their duties at home and abroad.
The service also has the distinct advantage of being able to operate from military air bases with all the flexibility that this brings. Government jets can fly closer to many intended destinations using military, rather than civil airports, and this can lead to substantial savings in travel time. The service offers a degree of privacy for the conduct of official business during flights which is not available on commercial flights and allows Ministers to carry out their duties with the maximum of efficiency. The availability of the service for special tasks in times of crisis ensures independence of movement on critical occasions.
The ministerial air transport service is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 aircraft, which were specifically acquired for that purpose. The Gulfstream IV was acquired in December 1991 and the Learjet entered service in January 2004 as a replacement for the Beechcraft Super King Air. The Beechcraft continued in use until January 2009 as a backup aircraft for the MATS, in addition to its primary role as a pilot training aircraft. However, it is no longer available for Ministerial air transport or any other taskings.
Helicopters are used for ministerial air transport in situations where, for operational reasons, fixed wing aircraft are not available or the point of destination is not close to an airport and in circumstances where there is a requirement for greater flexibility than can be delivered by fixed wing aircraft. The CASA maritime patrol aircraft is occasionally tasked with MATS flights in exceptional circumstances and where the dedicated MATS aircraft are not available.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
The use of any Air Corps aircraft for ministerial transport is subject to authorisation by the Taoiseach, taking into account several factors such as the necessity to undertake the engagement and amount of notice received, the demands of the particular schedule, the availability and suitability of other travel arrangements, overall cost considerations, the numbers in the delegation and security considerations. Once approved by an Taoiseach, all operational matters are settled directly between the office of the Minister in question, the Department of Defence and the Air Corps.
My Department follows normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under either of two headings, namely, the direct cost, that is, the costs which are additional to those associated with having the aircraft and which only arise when the aircraft is flown, including maintenance, fuel and support services such as catering costs, cleaning services and airport handling charges; and the total cost, that is, the direct cost plus the costs associated with having the aircraft, for example, depreciation and personnel costs. The average hourly costs associated with Air Corps aircraft used in providing the ministerial air transport service in the period in question are contained the following tabular statement.
I would like to emphasise that the direct and total costs quoted are average costs which are calculated by taking a number of variables into account. It is not possible to assign an exact cost to any particular mission or Minister. These figures are kept under review and were updated in 2002, 2005 and 2009. The current estimated hourly costs associated with the Gulfstream IV are a direct cost of €4,050 per hour and a total cost of €7,890 per hour. The current estimated hourly costs associated with the Learjet are a direct cost of €1,270 and a total cost of €2,950 per hour. These two aircraft are the dedicated aircraft for the ministerial air transport service.
Ministerial usage of the service averages at 660 hours per year since 2002. Further details of hours flown per aircraft type are contained in the second following tabular statement. The cost of the ministerial air transport service is funded through the Defence Vote and not currently charged out to Ministers.
With regard to distance travelled by members of the Government on Air Corps aircraft, I am advised that the Air Corps does not use this method to calculate aircraft utilisation and, therefore, information on distance travelled is not available.
Table 1: Costs Associated with Air Corps aircraft used in the provision of the Ministerial Air Transport Service
Aircraft
|
2002
|
2005
|
2009
|
|
Average Direct Cost Per Hour
|
Average Total Cost Per Hour
|
Average Direct Cost Per Hour
|
Average Total Cost Per Hour
|
Average Direct Cost Per Hour
|
Average Total Cost Per Hour
|
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
€
|
Gulfstream IV
|
2,500
|
5,550
|
3,500
|
7,100
|
4,050
|
7,890
|
Learjet 45
|
—
|
—
|
1,000
|
2,100
|
1,270
|
2,950
|
Beechcraft
|
900
|
1,400
|
1,200
|
1,600
|
1,320
|
1,770
|
CASA
|
1,000
|
2,400
|
1,250
|
2,800
|
1,335
|
2,820
|
EC135
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
430
|
1,590
|
AW139
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
1,470
|
3,130
|
Alouette
|
800
|
1,400
|
1,100
|
1,700
|
—
|
—
|
Dauphin
|
1,700
|
2,800
|
1,650
|
3,100
|
—
|
—
|
Table 2: Hours Flown by Ministers on Air Corps Aircraft
Year
|
Type
|
Hours
|
2002
|
Gulfstream IV
|
335.00
|
|
Beechcraft
|
21.83
|
|
CASA
|
9.92
|
|
Dauphin
|
3.33
|
|
Alouette
|
11.08
|
|
TOTAL
|
381.16
|
2003
|
Gulfstream IV
|
505.37
|
|
Beechcraft
|
79.67
|
|
CASA
|
8.42
|
|
Dauphin
|
9.17
|
|
TOTAL
|
602.63
|
2004
|
Gulfstream IV
|
487.08
|
|
Beechcraft
|
121.67
|
|
Learjet
|
413.08
|
|
Dauphin
|
21.55
|
|
TOTAL
|
1043.38
|
2005
|
Gulfstream IV
|
395.75
|
|
Beechcraft
|
90.00
|
|
Learjet
|
293.83
|
|
CASA
|
6.92
|
|
Dauphin
|
19.58
|
|
Alouette
|
1.00
|
|
TOTAL
|
807.08
|
2006
|
Gulfstream IV
|
411.52
|
|
Beechcraft
|
89.75
|
|
Learjet
|
232.67
|
|
CASA
|
2.50
|
|
Alouette
|
11.17
|
|
EC135
|
34.75
|
|
TOTAL
|
782.36
|
2007
|
Gulfstream IV
|
281.33
|
|
Beechcraft
|
69.83
|
|
Learjet
|
170.25
|
|
CASA
|
2.42
|
|
A111
|
2.00
|
|
EC135
|
19.17
|
|
AW139
|
15.08
|
|
TOTAL
|
560.08
|
2008
|
Gulfstream IV
|
344.92
|
|
Beechcraft
|
70.67
|
|
Learjet
|
234.33
|
|
CASA
|
4.58
|
|
EC135
|
23.17
|
|
AW139
|
22.67
|
|
TOTAL
|
700.34
|
2009-to date
|
Gulfstream IV
|
179.50
|
|
Beechcraft
|
0.75
|
|
Learjet
|
186.50
|
|
EC135
|
7.67
|
|
AW139
|
12.83
|
|
TOTAL
|
387.25
|