Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, made under the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1946, gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland.

Successive Governments have made landing facilities available at Shannon Airport to the United States for well over a period of 50 years now. These arrangements are governed by strict conditions, including that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives, that they do not engage in intelligence gathering and that the flights concerned do not form part of military exercises or operations. These conditions apply equally to military aircraft from all countries seeking to land in Shannon. The US, as with all other states, is required to provide my Department with confirmation in writing that the aircraft proposing to land in Shannon comply with the strict conditions as set out and as I have mentioned.

Thorough and robust procedures are in place in my Department with a view towards ensuring that the conditions for securing permission for foreign military aircraft to overfly or land in the State are clearly understood and properly applied now and into the future. These procedures are kept under ongoing review. Comprehensive records on requests received and decisions made are retained for the purposes of monitoring and oversight and are drawn on as needed to provide information to this House as appropriate.

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