There were almost 250 more US military aircraft flights over Ireland than previously disclosed by the Government since last summer, an Irish Times investigation has found.
The 248 flights include military transport aircraft, troop carriers and surveillance aircraft.
The figures show a 56 per cent surge in US military overflights of Ireland last month as the US launched hundreds of strikes on Iran.
Following queries from The Irish Times, the Department of Foreign Affairs attributed the underreporting of overflights to an administrative error.
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Last Thursday, it republished the overflights figures for the last eight months, showing 248 flights that did not appear in the initially reported statistics.
The department publishes the number of overflights by foreign military aircraft on a monthly basis. Typically, US military aircraft fly over the country between 30 and 50 times a month.
However, last September that figure fell to no more than two aircraft a month, according to an analysis of official statistics.
Using open source software, The Irish Times tracked 34 US aircraft flying through Irish territorial airspace, a boundary that extends 22km out to sea, in January.
That figure does not include flights which stopped to refuel at Shannon Airport. Nor does it include 12 flights which appeared to enter the very fringes of Irish airspace for brief periods of time.
According to the official department figures, the number of overflights by US military aircraft in January was two.
The aircraft tracked by The Irish Times included C130 aircraft used to transport troops and military equipment. Last week, a man was arrested for allegedly attacking the same type of aircraft with a hatchet after it landed in Shannon Airport.
Smaller planes which are used to carry high-ranking officers and other VIPs were also observed, as were KC-46 aircraft which are used to refuel fighter jets in mid-air.
As previously reported, there were also multiple overflights of Poseidon P-8 surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft in early January. These were engaged in the pursuit by the US military of a ship in the North Atlantic which had earlier attempted to collect sanctioned oil from Venezuela.
The ship, the Marinera, was eventually boarded and detained by US forces following a three-week pursuit.
In response to queries this week, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the failure to report the overflights was an “an administrative error”, which led to US military overflights being “misreported on the department’s website on a monthly basis since September 2025″.
“This error has now been corrected after it was brought to our attention,” she said.
The use of Irish airspace and airports by the US military has long been controversial. Since the Trump administration launched its war on Iran on February 28th, there have been renewed calls from opposition TDs and peace campaigners for Irish airspace to be closed to US military aircraft.
Last month, Spain and Switzerland closed their airspace to US military aircraft involved in the conflict.
During her St Patrick’s Day visit to the US, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee declined to take similar action, arguing there was “no reason to believe” US aircraft involved in the Iran war are overflying Ireland.
However, the figures show a significant increase in US military overflights coinciding with the start of the war. Overflights increased from 32 in February to 50 in March, the highest number since last summer.
Under a 1959 agreement, US military aircraft can fly over Ireland without prior permission as long as they are not carrying weapons or involved in active military operations. If these conditions are not met, the US must seek prior authorisation from Dublin.
The data shows that in the last 15 months, the Government did not refuse any requests for overflights or landings in Ireland by US military aircraft.
Investigations Unit
- This project was produced by The Irish Times Investigations Unit.
- Graphics by Rachel Lavin.
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