Air traffic control staff at Casement Aerodrome set to be offered pay rise
Air traffic control personnel at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel are set to be offered a pay boost in an effort to tackle serious staff shortages and retention issues.
Operating hours at the airport in southwest Co Dublin have been reduced significantly due to a lack of air traffic controllers.
Take-off and landing operations do not take place between the hours of 8pm and 8am daily nor at the weekends.
Rescue, medical and surveillance services have been impacted by the changes.
Air traffic controllers at Baldonnel are needed for the management and control of military and other emergency aircraft from Casement Aerodrome.It is used by Defence Forces, an Garda Síochána, foreign military aircraft in transit and to host state and VIP flights.
Air ambulance services, which transport organs and critical patients, and maritime surveillance have been restricted due to the reduced hours.
A Garda spokesperson said the limited hours at Baldonnel has 'no current impact on the operation of Garda helicopters'.
"Based on operational requirements the Garda Air Support Unit can deploy from a number of facilities" they said.
It is understood that the Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) has been using Weston Airport as an alternative.
Tánaiste to seek Cabinet approval
The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris, will seek approval from Cabinet today for a plan designed to retain highly skilled specialists in the Air Corps.
Under the proposals, which had been called for by military management, a 'Service Commitment Scheme' that is currently availed of by air corps pilots will be extended to air traffic control personnel which could increase pay by thousands of euro.
It's as fears grow that more air traffic controllers could leave their jobs soon.
The proposal could be introduced quickly in an attempt to help it return to a 24/7 hour service.
The Tánaiste has also asked military management and the Department of Defence to pursue a range of other measures aimed at boosting recruitment, as part of a wider regeneration plan at Baldonnel.
According to a working group, established in 2021 to identify options to ensure long-term sustainability of air traffic control services at Baldonnel, 32 personnel are needed in the air traffic control unit for the service to work efficiently.
This is the third time the Baldonnel has been impacted by staff shortages since 2010. In 2016, hours of operation were reduced to 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday.
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