The talks follow six airspace closures that have occurred over Irish airports due to staffing shortages at AirNav Ireland this year. AirNav Ireland is the State company with responsibility for providing air navigation and related services within the airspace controlled by Ireland. [ Air traffic control staff shortages threaten to disrupt passengersOpens in new window ]It also provides terminal air traffic control services at the three State-owned airports, Dublin, Cork and Shannon. O’Brien stated that while overtime remains integral to AirNav’s 24-hour operations the reliance on overtime is expected to decrease as air traffic controller staffing numbers rise. He said: “AirNav is actively recruiting and training student air traffic controllers to ensure it has the capacity to meet increased demand.

Source: The Irish Times March 03, 2026 00:24 UTC