The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has reported a more than 18% rise in operating profits for last year and also said it would increase its dividend payment to the State.
The authority is responsible for the provision of air traffic management in Irish controlled airspace, which covers about 451,000 square km.
It is also responsible for aeronautical communications on the North Atlantic, and the security oversight and safety regulation of the civil aviation industry in Ireland.
Turnover for the year at the authority amounted to €191.9m - up 4.6% on the previous year - while its operating profits rose by 18.3% to €39.5m.
The IAA also today said it would pay a €9.2m dividend to the State, up 24.3% over the previous year. It said this equates to 30% of its profit after tax.
Traffic at Irish airports and through Irish controlled airspace increased by over 8% during the year and the IAA managed just over 1.1 million flights last year.
"Investments in technology and our continuing high performance and efficiency programme ensure that we can maintain our position as a leading aviation regulator and service provider," commented Eamonn Brennan, the IAA's chief executive.
Eamonn Brennan said that safety is the IAA's number one priority.
The authority is independently audited by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
"We continue to be recognised as having one of the leading jurisdictions for oversight in Europe and the world," Mr Brennan said.
The IAA was also in first position out of 47 states for the EUROCONTROL CANSO standard of excellence survey in safety management systems and maturity measurement last year, he added.
