Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Apr 2003

Vol. 564 No. 3

Written Answers - National Airspace.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

212 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 84 of 26 November 2002 the number of commercial or private flights and military flights that passed through Irish airspace during 2001, 2002 and to date in 2003; the total revenue raised by the Irish Aviation Authority in respect of fees charged to private or commercial flights; the reason no fees are charged in respect of military aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9408/03]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

The Irish Aviation Authority provides air traffic control and communications services to aircraft which pass through Irish controlled airspace, en route, and aircraft landing and taking off from Irish Airports. I should explain that the Irish Aviation Authority controls some 100,000 sq miles of international airspace in addition to domestic airspace.

According to the Irish Aviation Authority, a total of 465,204 en route civil and 6,895 en route military aircraft flights flew through total Irish controlled airspace in 2001. The figures for 2002 were 450,022 civil flights and 8,716 military flights. The only figures available in respect of 2003 are January and February with 66,715 civil and 1,919 military. It should be pointed out that a much smaller proportion of military en route flights fly through domestic airspace with the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs while a smaller proportion again land at Irish airports.

The total revenue raised by the IAA in respect of en route, terminal and communications charges to civil flights in total Irish controlled airspace was €77.3 million in 2001, €84.0 million in 2002 and €13.8 million in respect of January and February 2003.

Under a Eurocontrol, European organisation for the safety of air navigation, multilateral agreement to which Ireland is a party, various categories of flights – flights under visual flight rules, flights performed by small aircraft, flights performed for the transport of Heads of State and search and rescue flights – are exempt from paying en route charges. In the case of other categories, military flights, training flights, flights performed to test air navigation equipment and circular flights, states have the option to exempt such flights from payment of the en route charge. In common with most Eurocontrol member states, Ireland exempts all such flights, including military flights of member states of Eurocontrol, United States and Canada, from payment of the en route charge. Because of this arrangement the IAA costs in relation to military flights are met from my Department's vote.

Ireland also exempts military aircraft flights from payment of the communications charge and the IAA costs in relation to those charges are also met from my Department's vote. Efforts to collect this charge in the early 1990s were unsuccessful and, following advice from the Attorney General, debts then outstanding were written off with the agreement of the Department of Finance and a decision taken to cease charging the communications fee to military aircraft.

In relation to the terminal charge for air traffic control services for military aircraft, this is a matter for the Irish Aviation Authority.