Ireland launches new national aviation policy

Ireland has launched a new policy for the country's aviation sector in a bid to further boost its development, according to the government on Saturday.

This is the first time that the country has launched a policy of its kind, the government said.

The new policy highlights intensified maintenance of aviation safety and increased connectivity, especially with emerging markets, as well as enhanced competition between airlines operating in the Irish market.

The policy said the government will pay attention to the promotion of Dublin Airport as a secondary hub, with the necessary infrastructure to meet projected traffic growth, and support the roles of Cork and Shannon airports as tourism and business gateways in their respective regions.

The Irish aviation sector contributes over 4 billion euros (4.55 billion U.S. dollars) directly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), supporting 26,000 jobs with a further 16,000 jobs indirectly. The country's tourism industry is also heavily reliant on aviation and accounts for a further 5.3 billion euros in GDP and 180,000 jobs.

Last year, around 25.5 million passengers used Ireland's airports, up 7 percent on 2013 and total flights in Irish airspace grew by 2.7 percent, according to government figures.

"This trend looks set to continue with a record 15 percent increase in passenger volume at Dublin Airport reported for the first half of 2015. The sustained growth in Irish air traffic in recent years is very welcome," said Irish Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe. (1 euro = 1.14 U.S. dollars)