Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very clear that there is no weaponry going via Ireland to Israel and certainly, as I have said, not through any airport. There is absolutely no evidence at all to suggest any airport in Ireland or Irish sovereign airspace is being used to transport weapons to the conflict in the Middle East. There is a distinction drawn between civil aircraft and military aircraft. Civil aircraft come under the Department of Transport. Diplomatic clearance comes under the Department of Foreign Affairs. That is the long-standing situation. In our view, the permission given by Ireland to foreign military or state aircraft to overfly or land in this State is fully compatible with our policy of military neutrality.

Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft seeking to overfly or land in the State require diplomatic clearance from the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This is subject to strict conditions, including stipulations that the aircraft must be carrying no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form part of any military exercise or operation. Civil aircraft come under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, which prohibit such aircraft from carrying munitions and so forth.

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