Aviation authority pays €5 million dividend to Government following record profit

The Republic’s aviation regulator paid a €5 million dividend to the Government after generating a record profit from its activities in 2012.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), responsible for air traffic management and civil aviation security, reported yesterday that its operations earned a record €22.9 million profit last year.

The authority’s turnover came to €175 million while total assets stood at €213 million at the year’s end.

A statement from the IAA said that it paid a €5 million dividend to the Government.

Close to 1,200 aircraft were registered in the Republic during 2012, 34 per cent more than in 2009. The growth was mainly in the number of large craft, which was in turn due to the development of large carriers and the Irish-based leasing industry.

Last year the authority provided air traffic control services to more than 300,000 flights through the Republic’s airspace and to almost 200,000 to and from its airports.

Along with that, it provided com munications services to 400,000 flights in the eastern north Atlantic.

The IAA said yesterday that its air traffic managemen charges are amongst the lowest in Europe and 2012 fees were down 8.9 per cent on 2011 for overflights.

Charges for airport terminal traffic were down 21 per cent on 2011, the authority added.

The IAA’s chief executive, Eamonn Brennan, said that the authority was placed third in Europe for safety oversight and received a 91 per cent customer satisfaction rating in 2012.