The no fares airspace - Ireland and foreign warplanes

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday December 03, 2002 16:13 by Eoin Dubsky - Refueling Peace info at refuelingpeace dot org 087 6941060

Foreign military aircraft overflights paid for by YOU

The Irish Government pick up the tab for foreign military overflights to the tune of 1.5 million euro every year. See below what Labour TD Róisín Shortall got out of the Minister in a Dail question:

Dáil Question
No: 84

*To ask the Minister for Transport the number of commercial or private flights
and military flights that passed through Irish airspace during 2001 and 2002 to
date; 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.
- Emmet Stagg. (Nominated by: Róisín Shortall).

For ORAL answer on Tuesday, 26th November, 2002.

Ref No: 23464/02

Answered by the Minister of State at the Department of Transport
(Jim McDaid)
REPLY

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 (terminal). 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 to end-September were 339,707 civil
flights and 6,881 military flights. 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 and €60.9 million to end-September 2002.

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,
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
1990’s 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.

(Ed) This doesn't mean just that Ireland "doesn't charge" -- the IAA still recover their costs. What it means is that we are paying for the overflight-related costs of foreign military aircraft including every last US, UK, Israeli, and [you name it] plane.