Air traffic in Ireland has slumped considerably over the past month.

The Irish Aviation authority has said the number of commercial flights at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports fell from 19,321 in February 2009 to 15,216 last month.

Shannon, the country's second-busiest airport, suffered most with a 29% drop in traffic.

The Dublin Airport Authority said figures for the main airport showed a 17% drop in air passenger traffic.