Report in 2021 warned of military air traffic control crisis but nothing was done until this year

The Journal

2 days ago

A MAJOR STUDY carried out in 2021 warned Government of the impending collapse of the Air Corps Air Traffic Service (ATS) but a scheme that may have prevented the crisis was only requested this February – four years later.
The Journal
has obtained a copy of the internal Report of the ATS Working Group which looked at 'options to ensure the longer-term sustainability' of the service at Casement Aerodrome.
The report identified Casement Aerodrome as a major national strategic asset and it warns that unless action is taken to keep air traffic controllers in service there would be future collapses in the service 'every number of years'.
It also described military ATS as a strategic asset. It said that the Defence Forces controllers were also a 'backstop contingency' if the civil aviation service ever went down.
The Journal
has confirmed that despite the report being completed in 2021 it was not until February of this year that DOD contacted their colleagues in the Public Expenditure Department to get a retention scheme for air traffic controllers.
There is also an initiative underway to promote enlisted personnel to officers to keep them in service – which was also a key recommendation in the report.
It all came too late – this week
The Journal
revealed that the Irish Air Corps
was going to a part-time five-day-week and 12-hour only days because it was not able to carry out the basic function of military Air Traffic Control.
Yesterday the
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
, who took over as Defence minister in December 2022 from Simon Coveney, said it was a matter for the military leadership to solve.
There is no mention in the
2025 Ministerial Brief
, given to Tánaiste Simon Harris, of the Air Traffic Service issues.
High level briefings
The working group already had a number of top table officials and advisors – they included senior DOD officials, senior military officials including the Chief of Air Staff Operations.
Inside the front page of the lengthy ring bound report is a note that states that the document was forwarded to the Department of Defence (DOD) in December 2021. It is understood, from multiple sources, that high level briefings then took place, a short time later, of senior players across the national security apparatus.
The study was commissioned in the wake of the last collapse in the service due to staff leaving to better paid jobs in the private sector in 2016. That was corrected and full 24 hour coverage was returned in 2021.
There was a military ATS restriction in 2017 due to staffing. In the aftermath of the crash of Rescue 116 off the Mayo coast that year, it was revealed that the helicopter was only there to act as a radio relay for another rescue chopper because the
Air Corps were unable to launch a CASA Maritime Patrol Aircraft
to do the job.
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The issue identified in the 2021 report, repeatedly, is that highly qualified and experienced air traffic controllers were leaving the service because of their conditions of service.
It's key Human-Resourcing finding, contained in the 31 recommendations, was that a retention scheme and other initiatives should be introduced to keep the highly trained controllers in the military.
The first recommendation in the document states: 'implement a service commitment scheme for ATS'.
It added: 'A blended approach of incentives and undertakings should be used in order to minimise premature voluntary retirements.
'Having a pathway for personnel who complete training to take up a role (and technical pay) specific to their skillset, or the ability to pay qualified controllers the appropriate technical pay after completing their training, would mitigate the impact of gaps within the unit.'
Irish Air Corps PC-9s on the ground in Baldonnel.
Irish Defence Forces
Irish Defence Forces
Recommendations
The recommendations specific to Ministerial control were around commissioning enlisted controllers to officers to fill gaps and make it enticing for them to stay on.
The report also recommended that a minimum four year commitment must be made by personnel who undergo the training and that mechanisms should be introduced to expedite trained personnel beginning work.
One of the recommendations that went ahead was the training of new controllers – a new measure means that new recruits have been training in Spain. They will now return to Ireland to further their training – issue is two of the Air Corps instructors are leaving the service.
The report recommended that there should be 32 personnel as a minimum in the unit.
The Journal
has learned, from other documentation, that as of this week the 505 Squadron which has responsibility for the ATS had 21 personnel before the departure of staff. There are just a handful of qualified controllers.
Defence Minister assurances
Meanwhile the Defence Minister, Tánaiste Simon Harris, has sought to reassure the public that the Air Corps will find solutions.
'There is a question of pinch points in relation to key personnel in Baldonnel, and I'll be meeting early next week with the new Chief of Staff and with my own department to look at contingency planning in relation to this.
'We of course don't live in a country that only has one airport or one air base. And we will have to look at what actions can be taken. But I do want to assure people, particularly those who might look at Ireland from a position of hostility, I want to assure them that our Air Corps continues to function, and any pinch points will be overcome,' he said.
Statements have been requested from the Irish Defence Forces, the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
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