Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport
Aviation Trends, Air Traffic Control and Drone Activity: Discussion
1:30 pm
Mr. Philip Hughes:
Generally, most of our focus is at an en route level, which is high-level airspace. We do it as well lower down in terms of terminal approach. Around airports, it is generally the operator who does that. The problem in Dublin is that there is a complex airspace because there is both Baldonnel and Weston. That makes the airspace more complex. There are a number of private companies that do things such as airspace design and which would facilitate that. That is, therefore, a conversation with the operators. Generally speaking, we do not have any competence or do not do airspace design in the terminal area sense. We certainly do it and facilitate it for upper airspace. In our centre in Brétigny-sur-Orge we run simulations. In particular with regard to the flexible use of airspace we do a lot on that. That is where we have helped.