DEFENCE FORCES investigators and the Garda are examining how and why vandals managed to gain entry to Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Co Dublin, and cause damage to the runway on Saturday night.
Casement is a military aerodrome and is favoured by the Taoiseach and Cabinet Ministers when using government jets. It is also home to Air Corps fixed-wing aircraft used in search and rescue and the Garda Air Support Unit.
The aerodrome was in regular use on Saturday and a Casa aircraft engaged in search and rescue operations for the missing fishermen off the east coast landed there without incident that evening. However, as this aircraft was preparing to take off on Sunday morning, pock marks were discovered on runway 2911 during a routine inspection.
There is a 24-hour military presence at the aerodrome and a full review of that security was under way yesterday. It it was not immediately clear how the perpetrators might have bypassed security to gain access to the runway.
Last night, the Defence Forces issued a statement saying that following an assessment of runway 2911, the damage was classed as “superficial”. The aerodrome remained fully operational over the weekend with fixed-wing flights using the alternative runway 2305. The affected runway would undergo a thorough sweeping to remove any debris and was expected to be fully operational by this morning. “Minor repair works will be carried out in due course,” the statement said.
At the centre of the investigations are the questions of how and why anyone could gain access to the aerodrome carrying what is thought to be a pick axe or a similar type of implement.
Anti-war activists have in the past protested about the use of the aerodrome by US military aircraft but no one has claimed responsibility for the damage.
In a reply to a Dáil question in 2003, the then minister for defence, Michael Smith, said there had been 22 landings of US air force military aircraft at the aerodrome since September 2001.
It is expected to be in use when Queen Elizabeth visits later this year.