Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Clonan again for raising this important point. The exemption of certain classes of flights from en route air navigation charges is a long-standing pratice, notwithstanding the specific points the Senator has made, which I will come back to. It is a long-standing practice set down in the Eurocontrol multilateral agreement, of which Ireland is a party. Ireland, in common with other Eurocontrol member states, which includes military flights in the exempt category in the interests of a safe and efficient air navigation system for both civil and military aviation. The exemption applies solely to en route proportion of the flight and not for landing charges. The exemption applies to the category of military flights as a whole. As I said earlier, it does not distinguish between states in terms of military traffic and does not constitute a preference for one nation's military over another. In this sense, it is impartial. It is done in the interest of providing an open and safe service to all air traffic to ensure that the military aircraft is co-ordinated safely alongside civilian traffic, to the benefit of the whole system.

I will bring the Senator's specific point regarding Rafah and the horrendous situation there that has been perpetrated on the people in that space back to the Minister. I take the Senator's point that this needs collectively needs to be looked at by Government.