Almost 2,000 US military flights and aircraft with munitions on board stopped at Irish airports between 2022 and 2024

The Irish Sun

a day ago

ALMOST 2,000 US military flights and US civil flights with declared munitions of war on board stopped at Irish airports over the last three years, a report found.
Over the same period, more than 1,000 applications were made for US civil aircraft with munitions of war on board to land in Shannon.
In total, 1,700 applications were made for civil aircraft with weapons on board to fly over Irish airspace.
The figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs show that 0.1 per cent of the applications made for civil aircraft carrying weapons to land or fly over Ireland were refused in the last three years.
Out of 543 applications to fly over Ireland with munitions of war in 2024, two were refused.
Read more in News
During the period, no US military aircraft were prevented from landing at Irish airports.
According to the Department of Transport, the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish airspace is prohibited 'unless an exemption for such carriage is granted by the Minister for Transport'.
It added: 'Applications for an exemption must detail specifically what is being carried, why and for whom, providing as much detail as possible.'
Department of Transport figures for January and February of this year show a total of 236 applications for these exemptions were received, with 232 granted, none refused and four cancelled.
Most read in Irish News
Earlier this week, Minister for Foreign Affairs
The aircraft was carrying individuals described by a US Homeland Security official as 'barbaric' and 'violent' to Africa against the directions of a US federal court judge.
JET TRACKED
Flight-tracking data obtained by the New York Times traced a Gulfstream jet owned by a private company that stopped off at Shannon for two hours after leaving an airport in Harlingen, Texas, on Tuesday.
From Shannon, the aircraft travelled on to an airport in Djibouti, arriving there on Wednesday.
It had been reported the final destination of the eight deportees was South Sudan.
In the Dail, Harris said the US deportation flight that landed in Shannon 'was a civil aircraft and as such, no diplomatic clearance would have been sought or indeed would have been required'.
'EVOLVING SITUATION'
Harris said it was 'very much an evolving situation'.
The Tanaiste said: 'The regulation of civil aircraft and flights is a matter for the Department of Transport.
'Diplomatic clearance to overfly or land in the State is required from my own department for any military and state aircraft, but not for civil aircraft.
'And what is most important is that we now have full clarity on what may or may not have taken place.
'So officials from my own department are liaising with the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice and the US authorities.'
1
Some 978 US military flights landed in Ireland between 2022 and 2024
Credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire