Annual Monitoring Report 2021 - Ireland
Contextual information
National performance plan adopted following Commission Decision (EU) 2022/766 of 13 April 2022
List of ACCs 2
Shannon ACC
Dublin ACC
No of airports in the scope of the performance plan
≥80’K 1
<80’K 2
Exchange rate (1 EUR=)
2017: 1 EUR
2021: 1 EUR
Share of Union-wide traffic (TSUs) 2021 3.6%
Share of Union-wide en route costs 2021 1.7%
Share en route / terminal costs 2021 84% / 16%
En route charging zone(s)
Ireland
Terminal charging zone(s)
Ireland
Main ANSP
• AirNav Ireland
Other ANSPs
–
MET Providers
• Met Eireann Aviation Services Division (ASD)
Traffic (En route traffic zone)
▪ Ireland recorded 300K actual IFR movements in 2021, +14% compared to 2020 (263K).
▪ Actual 2021 IFR movements were +6.6% above the plan (281K).
▪ Actual 2021 IFR movements represent 46% of the actual 2019 level (647K).
▪ Ireland recorded 2,419K actual en route service units in 2021, +22% compared to 2020 (1,988K).
▪ Actual 2021 service units were +4.6% above the plan (2,312K).
▪ Actual 2021 service units represent 52% of the actual 2019 level (4,641K).
Safety (Main ANSP)
▪ IAA ANSP achieved the RP3 EoSM targets in four out of five management objectives, missing the target for safety risk management despite planning to achieve it since 2020. The Irish NSA conducted oversight of the IAA ANSP management function in 2021 and concluded that IAA ANSP needs to improve the safety risk management. The measures identified are mainly related to implementation of Regulation (EU) 2017/373.
▪ Ireland recorded a marginally higher rate of separation minima infringements relative to 2020 and lower rate of runway incursions. Both rates are below the Union-wide average rates.
▪ The NSA has established associated safety targets and alert thresholds in order to provide quantifiable measures related to the achieved level of safety.
▪ IAA ANSP should improve its safety management by implementing automated safety data recording systems.
Environment (Member State)
▪ Ireland achieved a KEA performance of 1.01% compared to its target of 1.13% and contributed positively towards achieving the Union-wide target. KEA is at the best levels seen in the last five years.
▪ Both KEP and SCR continued to improve, and the values are at their lowest levels in five years.
▪ The share of CDO flights increased by three p.p..
▪ Additional time in terminal airspace more than halved from 1.19 min/flight to 0.57 min/flight and additional taxi out time reduced from 2.37 min/flight to 1.32 min/flight in 2021.
Capacity (Member State)
▪ Ireland registered zero minutes of average en route ATFM delay per flight during 2021, thus meeting the local breakdown value of 0.01.
▪ En route ATFM delays in Ireland were also zero on average during the past years.
▪ Traffic is expected to grow with 2019 levels likely being reached in 2023 in all growth scenarios and a slight increase in the number of ATCOs in OPS is planned in Dublin and Shannon ACCs by the end of RP3.
▪ The yearly total of sector opening hours in Dublin ACC was 18,615, showing a 0.3% decrease compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are unchanged from 2019 levels. The yearly total of sector opening hours in Shannon ACC was 45,990, showing a 0.3% decrease compared to 2020. Sector opening hours are unchanged from 2019 levels.
▪ Dublin ACC registered 5.17 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 62.4% below 2019 levels. Shannon ACC registered 5.07 IFR movements per one sector opening hour in 2021, being 49.8% below 2019 levels.
▪ Ireland registered an average airport arrival ATFM delay of 0.01 minutes per flight in 2021, achieving the local target of 0.25 minutes.
▪ Compared to 2020, average arrival ATFM delays in Ireland were 91.45% lower in 2021, while the number of IFR arrivals increased by 1.74%.
▪ The main reasons for delays were ATC disruptions, accounting for 45% of delays, and ATC staffing issues, responsible for 32%.
Cost-efficiency (En route/Terminal charging zone(s))
▪ The en route 2020/2021 actual unit cost of Ireland was 45.48 €2017, -3.7% lower than the determined unit cost (47.25 €2017). The terminal actual unit cost was 267.36 €2017, -6.0% lower than the determined unit cost (284.45 €2017).
▪ The en route 2021 actual service units (2,419K) were +4.6% higher than determined (2,312K).
▪ In 2021, actual total costs were -4.6 M€2017 lower (-4.5%) than determined. Ireland decreased all cost categories except staff costs due to the cancellation of some cost reduction measures in response to higher traffic levels. The total reduction was mainly driven by lower other operating costs (-4.6 M€2017, or -12.4%) due to cost containment measures.
▪ IAA ANSP spent 13 M€2017 in 2021 related to costs of investments, -13% lower than determined (15 M€2017). The difference was mainly due to a delay of the operational date of a new visual control tower at the airport of Dublin (initially planned in July 2021 and delayed to November 2021). Considering that the performance plan has been submitted at the end of 2021, the PRB invites the NSA to revise the planning process which might not have been accurate enough and that may require improvements.
▪ The en route actual unit cost incurred by users in 2020/2021 was 44.40€, while the terminal actual unit cost incurred by users was 242.96€.