Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Transport the legislation under which airline companies can restrict the size and weight of hand and stored luggage on commercial passenger aircraft; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17476/10]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Regulation detailing requirements with regard to hand baggage and checked-in baggage on board aircraft is Council Regulation 3922/91, of 16 December 1991, on the harmonization of technical requirements and administrative procedures in the field of civil Aviation. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is the competent authority in the State for the purposes of this Regulation. I am advised by the IAA that the above Regulation specifies standard weights for passengers and checked-in baggage based on the size of the aircraft and whether the flight is international or charter. The airline specifies the weight and size of hand baggage permitted on board aircraft which forms part of the airline's Operations Manual and is approved by the IAA.

A recent survey conducted by the IAA of airline passenger weights and baggage to verify that Irish airlines do not exceed weights permitted by this EU Regulation, indicated that hand baggage of weight up to and including 10 kgs is permissible. T he size of hand baggage is determined by the airline depending on the size and weight limitations of the overhead bins and the available space underneath passenger seats in their particular aircraft. In fact an airline may have specified different sizes for hand baggage depending on the size of different aircraft in their network.