Contingency plans are being put in place to deal with a shortage of military air traffic controllers, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has told the Dáil.
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said air traffic control at Baldonnell airport is moving to five-days per week as they are short of personnel.
He said that Baldonnell Air Corps manages military helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as garda aircraft.
Mr Doherty said gardaí are looking for alternatives because responding to crime was not a five-day-a-week job.
He added that there were also concerns that these shortages would lead to cutbacks in essential support for the coastguard.
He added that if any more personnel are lost, operations could wind up completely.
The Irish Times reported that that Irish military flight operations are to move to part-time hours at the Air Corps headquarters and may soon have to cease operations.
The Tánaiste defended the level of funding for the Defence Forces saying that it has risen significantly and was up 30% since 2020.
However, he acknowledged that there were pinch points in parts of the Defence Forces in relation to particular skills and retention of air traffic controllers.
He said contingency planning would be put in place and work was underway to ensure continuation of services.
