Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
186. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport the authority responsible for private aircraft flying throughout the State, is there a record of those flights, the flightpaths they took, the altitude they flew at, how a person can check should a record; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2848/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not clear exactly what type of aircraft operation the Deputy is referring to. The nature of ownership does not arise as a specific categorisation in aviation and therefore data is not collected specifically in relation to ‘private aircraft.’
Data in relation to flight types are categorised based on the EUROCONTROL Market Segment Rules 2022 which classifies flights into the following categories: Military, Business Aviation, All Cargo, Low-Cost, Regional, Mainline, Charter, and other. This classification is based on a set of rules that use a mixture of operator, aircraft type and route information to determine the corresponding category.
AirNav Ireland is the semi state company responsible for providing air traffic management and related services within airspace controlled by Ireland. AirNav Ireland retains information in relation to flight plans submitted by operators under the Business Aviation category, however not all such flights would be considered as 'private' aircraft.
Aircraft operated on a non-commercial basis are not regulated in entirely the same manner as commercial aviation. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has a role in relation to the oversight of certain non-commercial air operations with complex motor-powered aircraft, whose operations are Declared to the IAA in Ireland, in accordance with the rules of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Regarding the operations of smaller non-complex aircraft and regulatory oversight, the competent authority is the authority designated by the Member State where the aircraft is registered. If the aircraft is registered in a third country i.e. outside EU, the competent authority is the authority designated by the Member State where the operator has its principal place of business, is established or is residing.
If the Deputy wishes to provide further information to my Department, further enquiries can be made with AirNav Ireland and with IAA to determine what, if any, information they may have on the flights or operators that the Deputy is referring to.
