Total of 63 ‘near-misses’ in Irish airspace

THERE have been 63 so-called “near-miss” incidents involving aircraft in Irish airspace since 2000, it has emerged.

The Irish Aviation Authority, which does not make such information publicly available, has confirmed that there have been 10 incidents in recent years where aircraft may have been at risk of a mid-air collision.

However, the vast majority of the breaches of the recommended safe distance levels between aircraft have posed no danger. Four out of five such incidents have been confirmed as not placing the aircraft at any risk of collision.