Ken O'Flynn
Question:
181. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Defence the total number of aircraft in the Air Corps fleet currently classified as fully operational, under scheduled maintenance, or unavailable for operational use; the average maintenance downtime per aircraft type; and the governance mechanisms in place to monitor and reduce downtime. [27814/26]
View answer
My officials have requested the information sought by the Deputy from the military authorities, and I will arrange to have same forwarded to the Deputy subject to any operational and security related concerns.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Orders.
As indicated in my reply, the information sought was not readily available within my department and it was for that reason that I provided a deferred response. The military authorities have advised the requested material as per below;
Currently the Air Corps have twenty-seven (27) aircraft in operational service comprised of seventeen (17) fixed wing and ten (10) rotary wing aircraft.
Aircraft downtime per aircraft type varies significantly depending on the type of maintenance being performed, which changes depending on circumstances. For example, some aircraft require minor inspections after every 50 hours of flying, with the duration of inspections increasing with increasing flying hours, so a 1,000 hour inspection (performed every 1,000 flying hours) takes considerably longer than a 50 hour inspection. In addition to this, calendar inspections are also required, again with varying duration, so a 1-year annual inspection is much shorter than an 8-year inspection.
Governance mechanisms in place to monitor and reduce aircraft downtime are provided for in the first instance by the Air Regulations Manual Part E, which governs all airworthiness and maintenance requirements in the Air Corps. Air Corps Quality Assurance Section ensure that all aircraft maintenance is performed with reference to the ARM Part E and/or with reference to maintenance instructions as published by the aircraft manufacturers. This is done by way of audits and inspections, including of external contracted maintenance. The Air Corps Military Airworthiness Authority review and approve all aircraft maintenance programmes. In addition, Air Corps Technical Representatives supervise all externally contracted maintenance to ensure on-the-ground quality assurance and reduce/eliminate unnecessary downtime.
Information regarding the current operational status of Air Corps aircraft are subject to normal operational security reporting restrictions and are not disclosed for operational security reasons. In this context, my Department receives operational and readiness reports for situational awareness purposes only. Direct command and control of assets, as well as specific tactical deployment decisions, remain the remit of the military authorities.
