This article is from page 14 of the 2006-10-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
THE Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) yesterday celeberated the 70th anniversary of the opening of Shannon Aeradio, Ireland’s High Frequency (HF) communications centre at Ballygirreen near Newmarket-on-Fergus and marked the occasion by announcing a €4.5m investment at the facility.
Founded in 1936 to provide long-range communications for the transatlantic flying boat service in Foynes, the centre is responsible for communicating via long distance radio with up to 1,250 transatlantic flights per day.
2006 also marks the 40th anniversary of the Shanwick agreement. Under this agreement, signed by the Irish and UK governments in 1966, Shannon Aeradio provides HF communications to aircraft on the eastern half of the North Atlantic while Prestwick in Scotland provides air traffic control services to aircraft in the same area.
The occasion also marked the installation of new equipment at Shannon Aeradio worth €4.5 million and the beginning of a new co-operative agreement with the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). Under this agreement, the IAA and the ICAA will provide a seamless HF communications service across a wider area of the strategic North Atlantic region.
Speaking at the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 70th anniversary, IAA Chairman, Jerry Liston, congratulated past and present staff and said the station’s success was a testament to the enthusiasm and professionalism with which they carry out their work.
Shannon Aeradio is also home to the national AFTN Centre, which delivers data such as airline movements and flight plans to a worldwide network, and also a weather broadcast service heard throughout the world.
Almost 90 per cent of air traffic over the North Atlantic passes through Irish airspace. Shannon Aeradio communicates with the vast majority of these flights every day. This amounts to up to 1,250 flights per 24 hours during the busy summer months. The IAA employs 70 people at Shannon Aeradio.