Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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145. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason three US aircraft on contract to the US military were approved to land at Shannon Airport, on their way to and from eastern Europe and the Middle East (details supplied). [40820/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Convention on International Civil Aviation signed at Chicago on 7 December 1944, and its associated annexes, established the framework for the operation of international civil aviation. Both Ireland and the United States are contracting parties to this Convention.

Article 5 of this Convention provides for the right of air operators of contracting parties to operate non-scheduled overflights and stops for non-traffic purposes (e.g., refuelling) in the territory of the other contracting parties.

This provision is provided for in Irish law in Article 3 of the Air Services Authorisation Order 1993.

Further to the above, the "open skies" Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement between the European Union and the United States provides the formal framework for commercial air transport operations between both territories.

This outlines how civil air operators from the United States, operating commercially, are allowed to overfly Irish sovereign territory or stop for non-traffic purposes at Irish airports.

Under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory is prohibited, unless an exemption to do so is granted by the Minister for Transport.

An exemption granted under the Orders is for the carriage of the munitions of war through Irish sovereign territory, it is not an approval to land at any airport outside the State, this is a matter for the State to which it is being flown and their domestic procedures.

Applications for exemptions from US civil air operators, contracted by the US military, are generally in respect of the personal unloaded weapons of the military personnel that are being transported on the aircraft concerned. I can confirm that this was the case in respect of the flights to which the Deputy has referred and exemptions were granted.