AirNav Ireland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Health and Safety Authority to enable safe and coordinated drone operations within controlled Irish airspace during serious workplace incident investigations, according to an HSA press release.

The agreement allows HSA access to controlled airspace including Dublin, Shannon, Cork and regional airports, with short-notice flight approvals where required.

Under the arrangement, AirNav Ireland will provide flight coordination support to facilitate HSA-trained drone pilots capturing high-quality aerial photographs and video evidence at incident scenes, including hazardous environments. The organisation manages air traffic services within the 451,000km² of airspace controlled by Ireland under Section 14 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022.

Cathal MacCriostail, Manager of Airspace and Navigation at AirNav Ireland, said: "AirNav Ireland is pleased to support the HSA in using drone technology as part of its investigation work. This agreement establishes clear and practical procedures to facilitate drone flights within controlled airspace while maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety."

He added: "Our goal is to ensure that these important missions can take place safely, efficiently and in full coordination with air traffic services across the State."

The memorandum addresses operational coordination between aviation safety requirements and HSA investigation protocols. AirNav Ireland's role includes providing short-notice clearances for drone flights over incident sites that may be dangerous or inaccessible to ground-based inspectors.

Mark Cullen, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, said: "This agreement with AirNav Ireland marks an important step forward in how we investigate serious workplace incidents. Drones give us the ability to capture high-quality aerial evidence safely and quickly, especially in locations that may be dangerous or inaccessible to inspectors."

Find out how airspace coordination is enhancing workplace incident investigation capabilities in the complete announcement.