Four Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, purchased by the Irish Air Corps for vital medical evacuations and sensitive surveillance missions, have been grounded due to unspecified maintenance issues. The aircraft, acquired just six years ago, are now unable to operate as officials determine when they will return to service. The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have not provided a timeline for the fleet's return.
These aircraft, often utilized as air ambulances for emergency medical transport and for surveillance tasks involving the Gardaí, Army, and Naval Service, were grounded following a manual inspection. A source indicated that previous maintenance relied on a computer system, which did not flag the discrepancies that a manual check subsequently revealed. This has raised questions about the safety of the aircraft's previous flights, despite them holding valid safety certificates.
The Defence Forces confirmed the grounding of the fleet at Baldonnel, acknowledging maintenance problems. While asserting the planes possess current Military Airworthiness Review Certificates valid until September 2026, they declined to comment on arrangements for essential services during the grounding, citing operational security. The Defence Forces stated that the current pause is a "maintenance scheduling matter, not a certification issue."
According to a statement, the Air Corps conducts scheduled maintenance on the PC-12 fleet at intervals prescribed by the manufacturer, managed through a Maintenance Information System. A routine review by aeronautical engineers identified a "very small number of scheduled maintenance items" that were misaligned between the aircraft's maintenance tracking software and the expected schedule timings. As a precautionary measure, flying operations have been temporarily suspended while this is resolved.
The contract for the four Pilatus PC-12 aircraft was signed in December 2017. While the list price for each plane was €4.17 million, the total cost, including upgrades and specialist equipment, escalated to nearly €50 million. The aircraft were delivered in April 2020.