Helicopter pilots left in limbo due to funding row

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Helicopter pilots left in limbo due to funding row

An inter-departmental row over funding the State's air-sea helicopter service in the north-west has left Air Corps pilots and crew in limbo at the Sligo airport base. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.

Almost seven months after the Minister for Defence announced that he was pulling the Air Corps out of search and rescue, the defence wing is still running the helicopter rescue base in Sligo for the Irish Coast Guard.

It is understood that the military pilots and crew have been given no date for formal withdrawal, and replacement by the privately run CHC Helicopter search-and-rescue unit.

The State had already invested over €11 million in the Sligo base, when it was decided to upgrade the Air Corps to medium-range search and rescue. A Sikorsky S-61 helicopter was leased at a cost of over €16 million, and Air Corps pilots were sent to Norway for special training.

Several pilots, who are due to renew certification, are being asked to return to Norway next month, even though there is uncertainty over their future in search and rescue.

Both the Department of Defence and the Department of Marine were keen to play down the row late last week, but it is understood that an impasse has developed over the funding of the privatised service. To date, the €16 million paid to lease the Sikorsky S-61 has been paid by the Department of Defence, while the Department of the Marine has paid for the three helicopter bases run by CHC for the Irish Coast Guard at Dublin, Waterford and Shannon.

Marine officials are seeking additional funding from central coffers before agreeing to a privatised service for Sligo.

The Department of Defence argues that there has never been dedicated funding for search and rescue operated by the Air Corps, and is opposed to surrendering any funds from its budget if the Air Corps is pulled out of Sligo.

"Pilots will still have to fly, even if they are flying other aircraft," a Department of Defence spokesman said.

The Air Corps is not providing a full 24-hour service at Sligo, following a dispute over pay and safety, which led to withdrawal and redeployment of its winching crews last year.

Several members of the winching crew have initiated legal action over the redeployment.

The Minister for Defence's decision to pull the Air Corps out of search and rescue altogether last December took many by surprise, as efforts were being made to train up new winching crews. The move was criticised by the Killybegs Fishermen's Organisation.

© The Irish Times


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