Aer Rianta has denied a US military aircraft which refuelled at Shannon Airport on Sunday was part of the mounting US offensive in the Middle East.
The US Navy C-130 Hercules plane was travelling to the US from an Italian base, an Aer Rianta spokesman in Shannon said. It is the only military plane to have used the airport in the past three weeks. No troops were aboard.
Hercules aircraft, which are propeller driven and heavy fuel users, have been a regular feature at Shannon since the end of the second World War. Troop carriers have also stopped at the airport frequently since the NATO alliance was formed. "We would have those aircraft in here for refuelling and maybe for in-flight catering on a fairly regular basis. We are abiding by Government policy," the spokesman said.
He added that figures on the frequency of military aircraft landing were not immediately available and added that troop carrier landings are classed as commercial transits.
Mr Flan Clune, Aer Rianta's public-relations manager in Dublin, confirmed the Government has never placed any stricture on troop carriers or non-armed military planes landing at State airports. "There has been a stricture on fighter airplanes but not on military aircraft. Since Shannon started, it was a transit point for troops going back and forth to Germany."
However, no eastbound US military aircraft has yet used Shannon as a transit stop since the military build-up in the Gulf began more than a week ago. But a troop carrier, a chartered MATS (Military Aircraft Transport Services) plane travelling from Maine in the US to Zagreb in Croatia, made a refuelling stop at Shannon on Saturday morning.
Two US companies, World Airways and American Transair, provide charter services for the US military.
The Government has formally stated it will allow US forces to use Irish airports for refuelling and to fly over the State's airspace. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, is expected to tell the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, of the decision in Washington today. Mr Clune added that it appeared the stricture on fighter planes or B52 bombers had been lifted, following last Friday's announcement by the Taoiseach that Irish airports were at the disposal of US forces.
During the 1991 Gulf War, the airport became an important stopover for troop carriers.
Opponents of the Government decision to allow airport access in the current conflict say there is no UN mandate for any military action in Afghanistan.
Local members of Republican Sinn FΘin held a protest in Shannon yesterday afternoon, claiming use of the airport by the US military was contrary to the State's neutrality.