Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2025
138. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Transport whether Ireland has a full complement of required air traffic control staff in all airports; and the number of such staff in each airport, in tabular form. [4109/25]
View answerAirNav Ireland, pursuant to the Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022, is responsible for the provision of en-route air navigation services in Irish airspace and terminal and approach services at the State airports (Dublin, Cork and Shannon).
AirNav Ireland currently employs 296 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) across the three State airports and the Shannon En-route Centre.
|
- |
ATCOs |
|
Cork Airport |
20 |
|
Dublin Airport |
104 |
|
Shannon Airport |
20 |
|
Shannon En-route Centre |
143 |
|
Air Navigation Management Specialists |
9 |
|
Total |
296 |
AirNav Ireland currently does not have a full complement of ATCO’s which means that on occasions overtime is used to fill gaps in the roster. However, safety remains the number one priority and there are protection mechanisms in place to ensure the workload of ATCO’s remains within regulatory requirements.
AirNav Ireland has an ongoing expansive recruitment and training plan in place to recruit and train student controllers and direct entry controllers (qualified air traffic controllers from other states). Student controller training takes between 16 to 20 months. AirNav Ireland’s recruitment plan aims to reach an ATCO complement of 348 by 2029 to meet the growing demands of the aviation sector.
The provision of air traffic control services at non-State owned airports is the responsibility of the airport operators.
The Irish Aviation Authority is the single civil aviation regulator in the State and is the competent authority responsible for the certification, regulation, and oversight of AirNav Ireland, airport operators and ATCOs in Ireland in accordance with national, European and international safety regulatory requirements.
