Tánaiste says military aircraft landing at Irish airports governed by strict condtions

Strict conditions governed the landing of any country’s military aircraft at Irish airports, Tánaiste Joan Burton said. She said the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering. Flights must not form part of military exercises and operations.

"Permission is not granted for the conduct of military operations in Irish air space," said Ms Burton. "This is Ireland's policy and is strictly enforced." She was replying in the Dáil to Independent TD Mick Wallace, who said it appeared neither Shannon Airport Authority nor the Government kept records of US military aircraft landing in Shannon.

He claimed Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan denied on the Dáil record that an aircraft had landed, although it was known it had. "Then he discovered we had proof," said Mr Wallace.

Last year, he said, a C-130 Hercules landed at Shannon with a weapon on board. “We were told this was an administrative error and that it had no permit to land. The policy is inconsistent.’’

In 2003, Mr Wallace said, the High Court ruled it was illegal, and a breach of international laws on neutrality, for the government to give approval for the movement of troops or munitions on their way to a war front. "How in God's name can we give permits to the civilian aircraft that we admit are carrying weapons with them when we know bloody well they are going to war?"

Mr Wallace said unless there were inspections and monitoring, Ireland was incapable of knowing it was not complicit in war crimes in the Middle East where the US army had illegally occupied sovereign states and committed umpteen war crimes. Ms Burton said she would raise the matter with Mr Flanagan.