Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

99. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the cost of air transport provided by the Air Corps to each Minister and Minister of State in each Department in each of the years 2016 to 2018, inclusive; the number of trips by year; the cost per trip by date; and the number of passengers per trip by year in tabular form. [2948/19]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) provides the Government and the President with an independent and flexible air transport service to assist in meeting national and international obligations.

Information in relation to MATS is publicly available on my Department's website, .

In relation to costs, my Department follows the normal practice in the aviation business of costing aircraft by reference to the cost per flying hour under each of two headings:

(a) The variable cost, which comprises costs incurred only when the aircraft is flown including maintenance, fuel and support services i.e. it does not include costs associated with having the aircraft; and

(b) The total cost, which comprises the variable cost plus the fixed cost associated with having the aircraft. The latter comprises personnel costs and depreciation.

These average hourly costs, for each aircraft type used for MATS missions in the period covered by the Deputy's question, are set out in the table below.

For clarity, an additional average fixed cost per hour column has been included in the table below showing the cost associated with having the aircraft.  These costs will be the same regardless of how frequently the aircraft is flown.