TOTAL FLIGHTS in Irish airspace decreased by 0.7 per cent last month on May 2011 and have dropped 15 per cent since May 2008, according to data from the Irish Aviation Authority.

Flights between Europe and North America which came though Irish airspace were down 3.43 per cent last month compared to May 2011.

The latest figures from the IAA show that an average of 1,536 flights a day last month into and out of the three state airports at Dublin, Shannon and Cork.

Commercial terminal flights were down at all three last month:

• Dublin Airport – down  1.1 per cent (average of 457 commercial movements a day)
• Cork Airport – down 0.9 per cent (average of 64 commercial movements a day)
• Shannon Airport – down 1.6 per cent (average of 57 commercial movements a day)

When compared to May of the peak travel year 2008, commercial terminal flights for Dublin, Cork and Shannon were down 20 per cent, 38.3 per cent and 41.4 per cent respectively in May 2012.

The IAA says that the overall reduction of flights in Irish airspace is largely attributable to the continuing decrease in arrivals and departures at the three airports.

The International Air Transport Association recently revised its industry outlook for 2012, saying that forecasts for global industry profits remain unchanged from the March forecast (at $3billion). The review also says that although oil prices have dropped and passenger traffic has shown stronger-than-expected growth, the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe has led markets to expect further deterioration and damage to economic growth.

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