Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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80. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 710 of 17 January 2017, his views on the fact that there was a sharp increase in the number of requests for landings of military aircraft at Shannon airport in June 2016, the same month in which NATO ran a military exercise in Poland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3058/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Permission granted for landings by all foreign military aircraft at Irish airports is subject to strict conditions. These include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, must carry no arms, ammunition or explosives. The aircraft must not engage in intelligence gathering and the flights in question must not form part of military exercises or operations. The increase in requests received in June 2016 in respect of military aircraft seeking to land at Shannon Airport arose mainly from requests from the US Embassywhich has confirmed that the flights in question complied with the applicable conditions. The Embassy have also confirmed that none of the aircraft used in those exercises originated from the United States and furthermore that none of the aircraft that participated in those exercises refuelled in Shannon during that exercise.