Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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81. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of US soldiers who have passed through Shannon Airport to date in 2016, including the monthly breakdown; the number of requests his Department received in 2016 from civilian aircraft to land at Shannon Airport or to pass through Irish airspace while carrying munitions; the number of permits issued for both; the number of requests that were rejected; the reason for rejecting the requests for which permits were not granted; if he will provide a breakdown of the countries from which the requests were made and to which the permits were granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22137/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Shannon Airport has informed my Department that ​the number of soldiers of the United States of America who have passed through Shannon Airport to end June in 2016 is 25,890.  The monthly breakdown is January - 5999; February - 3679; March - 3668; April - 4182; May - 3811; June - 4551.

The number of requests my Department received to date in 2016 from civilian aircraft to land at Shannon Airport or pass through Irish airspace while carrying munitions was 475. 447 permits were issued. Seventeen requests were refused. In ten of these cases the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had advised against granting the permits and in seven cases the requests were refused at my discretion.  Cancelled or duplicate applications account for the remainder.

The breakdown of the countries from which the requests were made is as follows - Ireland - 10; Ethiopia - 2; Spain - 1; Azerbaijan 1;Switzerland - 4; Turkey - 5; UK - 2; USA - 450.

The breakdown of the countries to which the permits were granted is as follows - Ireland - 10; Ethiopia - 2; Spain - 1;Switzerland - 4; Turkey - 5; UK - 2; USA - 423.