Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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473. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 831 of 16 September 2016, the purpose of those flights listed as originating in and destined for Romania; and if those flights had a connection to the activation of a missile defence station in Romania by the United States in May 2016. [26979/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The requests for landings by the flights in question concerned airport familiarisation and aircraft refuelling. The US Embassy has confirmed that the flights in question were not connected to the activation of a missile defence station in Romania by the United States in May 2016.

The US Embassy has also re-confirmed that the flights in question were unarmed, carried no arms, ammunition or explosives and did not engage in intelligence gathering and that the flights in question did not form part of a military exercise or operation. Permission for the flights in question to land was granted subject to these conditions.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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474. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to his response to Parliamentary Question No. 832 of 16 September 2016 (details supplied), which indicates that the pilots in question are engaged in a military exercise, if he will make a statement in this regard, given that it is forbidden for foreign military aircraft to engage in military exercises while here, as per his Department's own rules. [26980/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that all applications for US military aircraft to land in Shannon Airport in the period in question stated in each case that the flight met each of the conditions necessary, including that the flight did not form part of a military exercise.

The US Embassy also re-confirmed that the flights in question did not form part of a military operation or exercise.