Night time restriction in Irish airspace?

Fame and Demise

I only recently started getting into aviation and all things related. I'm having a look at Flightradar24 and there's only been 3 planes over us in the last hour. As I ask this there's only one Aeroflot about 100kms off the north coast and nothing for at least a couple of hundred beyond that.

Is there some law about it or is it just the way the airports operate or did I just get it on a bad night and there's just nothing scheduled?

Amirani

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

greedygoblin

NiallSparky wrote: »

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

Isn't Heathrow even generally closed between 12 and 5 at night?

Amirani

greedygoblin wrote: »

Isn't Heathrow even generally closed between 12 and 5 at night?

Yep. Dubai is the only airport I've landed in/taken off from between those hours.

urajoke

NiallSparky wrote: »

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

No such thing. DUBLIN CORK and SHANNON are open and available 24hrs.

It's most like just the traffic pattern due to winds over the Atlantic. Traffic eastbound likes a good tailwind so will route accordingly to get that tailwind. Most nights irish airspace is full of traffic.

Airports are quiet at night because humans funnily enough like to sleep in a bed at night and don't want to be flying to London at 3am etc

urajoke

greedygoblin wrote: »

Isn't Heathrow even generally closed between 12 and 5 at night?

Thats a local noise agreement

Victor

urajoke wrote: »

No such thing. DUBLIN CORK and SHANNON are open and available 24hrs.

It's most like just the traffic pattern due to winds over the Atlantic. Traffic eastbound likes a good tailwind so will route accordingly to get that tailwind. Most nights irish airspace is full of traffic.

Airports are quiet at night because humans funnily enough like to sleep in a bed at night and don't want to be flying to London at 3am etc

I think NiallSparky has a valid point - view few commercial flights from 0000-0500. transatlantic flights tend to be eastbound overnight and westbound during the day, so there will be relatively little traffic over Ireland and Britain in those hours.

urajoke

Victor wrote: »

I think NiallSparky has a valid point - view few commercial flights from 0000-0500. transatlantic flights tend to be eastbound overnight and westbound during the day, so there will be relatively little traffic over Ireland and Britain in those hours.

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

No he doesn't, it can't be valid if it's incorrect. Especially the bit about being CLOSED.

notharrypotter

From what I can see urajoke is an ATCO in Dublin so I would tend to accept it when he says the airports are open. With regards to aircraft that over fly Ireland I believe the early eastbound start to appear from around 3am

bikeman1

Well I landed in DUB at 0220 on a late running Ryanair due to heavy snow in Luton closing the airfield a few years ago.

Last night there were two flights to Bucharest at around 0100-0130. The first two Aer Lingus's off the Atlantic regularly land around 0430. Also there is the odd cargo flight out in those wee hours. So there is definitely no restrictions or closure period as has be mentioned above. Plenty going on.

Cessna_Pilot

NiallSparky wrote: »

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

Wrong, as mentioned above, Dublin, Cork and Shannon all open 24 hours a day.

urajoke

EIDW AD 2.3 OPERATIONAL HOURS

1 AD Administration H24
2 Customs and immigration Customs/Irish Immigration: H24
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: H24
US Customs and Border Protection: By prior negotiation with
Dublin US Embassy
3 Health and sanitation H24
4 AIS Briefing Office See Remarks
5 ATS Reporting Office (ARO) H24
6 MET Briefing Office H24
7 ATS H24
8 Fuelling H24
9 Handling H24
10 Security H24
11 De-icing H24
12 Remarks Airport closed on 25th December. Exact hours advised by
NOTAM.
PIB AVBL from AIS, Shannon see GEN 3.1.5
17 OCT 2013
17 OCT 2013
AIRAC Amdt 010/13

EICK AD 2.3OPERATIONAL HOURS

1 AD Administration H24
2 Customs and immigration H24
3 Health and sanitation H24
4 AIS Briefing Office H24 In conjunction with AIS Shannon
5 ATS Reporting Office (ARO) H24 In conjunction with AIS Shannon
6 MET Briefing Office H24
7 ATS H24
8 Fuelling H24
9 Handling H24
10 Security H24
11 De-icing H24
12 Remarks Airport closed on Christmas Day. Exact HR advised by
NOTAM

EINN AD 2.3 OPERATIONAL HOURS

1 AD Administration H24
2 Customs and immigration H24
3 Health and sanitation H24
4 AIS Briefing Office H24
5 ATS Reporting Office (ARO) H24
6 MET Briefing Office H24
7 ATS H24
8 Fuelling H24
9 Handling H24
10 Security H24
11 De-icing H24
12 Remarks Nil


SOURCE http://www.iaa.ie/safe_reg/iaip/Frame1.htm

Suasdaguna1

NiallSparky wrote: »

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

Why are posters like the above allowed sprout utter waffle and sh!te to muddy the waters?

intellectual dosser

Just a note that I think the OP was referring to Flight Ops and not whether the airports were open or closed to passengers.

I understand that landings and take offs take place during night hours, but people seem to really be slamming the door on each other when I think there is confusion about the scope of the question.

flazio

Not forgetting the Coast Guard helicopter service. Depending on the nature and location of their call out, they could require any of the countries airports for a refuel if they do not have enough to RTB.

Teebor15

they could require any of the countries airports for a refuel if they do not have enough to RTB.

The only airports available 24hours are Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Waterford and Sligo. The first 3 because they are published open 24H. Waterford and Sligo are bases for SAR helicopters so have a call out arrangement in place outside their published opening hours.

The only way any of the other airports would be available would be if they had prior notice before they closed. In other words there is no one there during the night bar the odd bored security guard.

On SAR missions the SOP would require flight crew to only fly to a range or for a duration that would allow enough fuel to return to an available refuelling point. Most likely one of the airports named above.

urajoke

intellectual dosser wrote: »

Just a note that I think the OP was referring to Flight Ops and not whether the airports were open or closed to passengers.

I understand that landings and take offs take place during night hours, but people seem to really be slamming the door on each other when I think there is confusion about the scope of the question.

The OPs question has been answered it's post No 2 that we are discussing now.

BonkeyDonker

NiallSparky wrote: »

Most airports (including all those in Ireland) are closed to commercial flights during the night.

Is it not more a case that most airports are closed because there is no commercial traffic, as opposed to no commercial traffic because the airport is closed??

Amirani

BonkeyDonker wrote: »

Is it not more a case that most airports are closed because there is no commercial traffic, as opposed to no commercial traffic because the airport is closed??

That's essentially what I was saying (albeit badly). I don't know what the exact rules are, simply that there's pretty much no scheduled commercial flights between those hours. I know that there's cargo and some irregular flights. I wasn't claiming the airports are completely closed.

urajoke

More not being used would be appropriate I guess.

flazio

Perhaps it's just like in this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeLnS8O08ng

LXFlyer

NiallSparky wrote: »

That's essentially what I was saying (albeit badly). I don't know what the exact rules are, simply that there's pretty much no scheduled commercial flights between those hours. I know that there's cargo and some irregular flights. I wasn't claiming the airports are completely closed.

It really boils down to human nature.

People in general don't wish to arrive/depart in the middle of the night and as such there is no demand for flights at that time. The fact that there is virtually no public transport at that time also is a factor.

Hence the airlines have virtually no scheduled flights leaving/arriving Dublin, Cork and Shannon between 0100 and 0600.

The exceptions are the first wave of Aer Lingus transatlantic arrivals and the Lufthansa departure to Frankfurt, timed at 05:20 to maximise connectivity.

Now as for aircraft passing through Irish airspace at night, I would expect there to be a reasonable amount of eastbound commercial transatlantic activity right through the night.

FWVT

Here's an interesting view of air traffic over a 24-hour period, showing the ebb and flow over Ireland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US4mKjYeklM

crosstownk

FWVT wrote: »

Here's an interesting view of air traffic over a 24-hour period, showing the ebb and flow over Ireland.

That's excellent.

While there may be little demand for airports from a passenger perspective and less scheduled flights as a result, the fact remains that Irish airports remain open 24 hours. ATC, emergency services, fuel, etc, etc are all available 24 hours.

EchoIndia

lxflyer wrote: »

Now as for aircraft passing through Irish airspace at night, I would expect there to be a reasonable amount of eastbound commercial transatlantic activity right through the night.

From about 0400 local time the eastbound wave over Ireland builds up. Using the playback feature on FR24 will show the pattern if you pick a suitable time window to watch.

stooge

Sorry to hijack the thread but a quick question if anyone can answer. Since about 7pm tonight I have heard and seen what seems to be a small private jet flying back and forth relays every hour. Just outside athlone (Roscommon side). Last run was about 5mins ago 23.10pm. Any ideas what this could be? Galway races are long passed! ;-)

cedan

stooge wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but a quick question if anyone can answer. Since about 7pm tonight I have heard and seen what seems to be a small private jet flying back and forth relays every hour. Just outside athlone (Roscommon side). Last run was about 5mins ago 23.10pm. Any ideas what this could be? Galway races are long passed! ;-)

Just started a thread on this! I knew I couldnt have been the only one who found it strange.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057067938

keith16

EDIT: Wrong thread, sorry. Carry on.