The 2024 annual report for AirNav Ireland shows that 418 of the 642-strong workforce earned over six figures, which included 145 personnel whose salaries were between €150,000 and €200,000.
Some 303 staff at AirNav Ireland have the job of air traffic controller, and the report says that last year they successfully managed “a record-breaking 679,000 flights across en-route and terminal services, and provided voice communications to over 537,000 flights on the North Atlantic”.
The report shows that a further 28 members of staff earned between €200,000 and €250,000 per annum. The chief executive, Peter Kearney, received total remuneration of €266,000 made up of a salary of €225,000, €38,000 in pension contributions, and €3,000 in other taxable benefits.
Mr Kearney’s seven-year term as CEO is due to end in June.
Last year’s higher staff costs, due to a wage increase and an increase in numbers from 626 to 642, contributed to pre-tax profits at AirNav Ireland declining by 37pc to €12.8m. Revenues increased marginally from €194.49m to €196.79m.
The group generates income by charging its airline customers for traffic management services within the 451,000 sq km of Irish airspace.
The accounts show that €103.84m was paid out in staff costs, including €78.44m on wages. All staff, apart from the CEO, received a general pay increase of 4.25pc in 2024.
AirNav Ireland paid out a dividend of €4.5m to the State last year. It was the first full year of operations following the transfer of air navigation functions from the Irish Aviation Authority.
In his report chairperson Bryan Bourke stated: “Overflights managed within Irish-controlled airspace increased by 3.2pc to over 380,600 flights. Commercial air traffic at Cork, Dublin, and Shannon airports rose by 1.3pc to over 278,300 movements, while flights managed on the North Atlantic saw a 3.5pc increase to over 537,000 flights.”
Operating profit for the group was €8.2m, almost half the €16.1m recorded in 2023, principally due to a once-off training cost refund in 2023 of €3m, and lower revenue in North Atlantic communications activities of €2.7m due to a lower customer charge per flight.
The profits take account of non-cash depreciation charges of €11.37m and a Met Eireann charge of €8.7m.
In 2024, the group generated net cash from operations of €21.8m. At the end of December, AirNav Ireland had shareholder funds of €316.6m that included cash funds of €33.6m.
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