Level of near-misses lowest in six years

ONLY three near-miss incidents involving aircraft in Irish airspace were recorded during 2006 — the lowest level since the start of the decade.

Figures from the Irish Aviation Authority show that a total of 68 incidents, of what are officially termed “air proximity occurrences”, have occurred since 2000.

However, two of last year’s incidents were assessed as having involved no risk of collision, while one other reported case has still to be formally classified.

The three 2006 airprox events are against a background of 380,000 overflights across Irish airspace coupled with 197,000 aircraft movements at Dublin Airport, 65,000 movements at Cork and 47,000 at Shannon. The standard safe separation distances between aircraft is 1,000 feet in altitude and 8 km apart, although these limits are reduced in the vicinity of airports. Airlines, airport and air traffic controllers are obliged to notify the authorities of any suspected breach of these safety margins.

In Ireland, a body known as the Airprox Panel investigates and classifies incidents of loss of separation between aircraft.

The Irish Aviation Authority has confirmed that there have been 11 incidents since 2000 in which aircraft may have been at risk of a mid-air collision. However, just one case was classified as category A — the most serious incident where such a collision is only narrowly avoided.

It occurred over the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland in November 2001 when two foreign aircraft were set on a collision course due to human error by one of the pilots and air traffic controllers based in Ireland and Scotland.

However, the vast majority of near-misses in Irish skies are adjudged to have posed no risk of safety to aircraft.

Aviation experts claim the risk of a mid-air collision should be minimal due to increased safety devices aboard modern civilian aircraft.

Meanwhile, the British aviation authorities are currently investigating an airprox incident involving an Airbus 320 bound for Dublin Airport, which took place at 30,000 feet near Stoke-on-Trent on May 29.