THE AMOUNT OF flights in Irish airspace dropped by 5.8 per cent in January of this year compared to the same month in 2011.

According to the Irish Aviation Authority, the busiest day of the month this year was 31 January, with 1,333 flights in Irish airspace.

There was an average of 1,201 daily flights during January 2012.

In total, the commercial terminal traffic for Shannon, Dublin and Cork airports decreased by 5 per cent in January 2012, when compared to January 2011.

The January 2012 figures for the three State airports, when compared to the same month in 2011 show:

• Commercial terminal flights at Dublin were down by 4.2 per cent, with an average of 361 daily commercial movements
• Commercial terminal flights at Cork were down 12.3 per cent, with an average of 50 commercial daily movements
• Commercial terminal flights at Shannon were down 2 per cent, with an average of 41 commercial daily movements

The IAA said the forecast for 2012 “sees a continuation of the trends of 2011, with an expected slowing of economies”.

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