Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
9. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will introduce in person checks on all military aircraft flying through Shannon airport; to confirm that the manifest for each flight correctly records the cargo carried thereon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72714/25]
View answer10. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her views on the Government's position in relation to military flights through Irish airspace, whether permission is granted to military aircraft to fly through Irish airspace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72715/25]
View answer11. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will confirm that permission is given to American military aircraft to fly through Irish airspace while carrying lethal weapons and other lethal miliary equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72716/25]
View answer12. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will confirm that US miliary aircraft are permitted while carrying lethal weapons and other lethal miliary equipment to Isreal or to support the Israeli Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72717/25]
View answer13. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will prevent US military aircraft from transiting Irish airspace while carrying military equipment to be used by Israeli Defence Forces in connection with Gaza or the occupied Palestinian territories; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72718/25]
View answer14. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the basis in which Ireland's military nonalignment permits her to grant permission to military aircraft to fly through Irish airspace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72720/25]
View answer15. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the legal basis on which she allows any military aircraft carrying lethal weaponry to fly through Irish airspace; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72721/25]
View answer16. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the legal basis on which her allows military aircraft to carry lethal weapons or other lethal military equipment, to be used by the Israeli Defence Forces, to pass through Irish airspace; whether this breaches Ireland's military nonalignment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72722/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 16, inclusive, together.
Under the terms of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance from the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Diplomatic clearance is only provided where the conditions set out by my Department are fully met, including that the aircraft is unarmed; that it carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it does not engage in intelligence gathering; and that the flight in question does not form part of a military exercise or operation. This policy is well known and is fully understood by international partners.
The permission given by Ireland to foreign military or state aircraft to overfly or land in the State is fully compatible with our policy of military neutrality, which, as practised by successive Governments, means that Ireland does not participate in military alliances or common or mutual defence arrangements. As the Government has stated on numerous occasions, there are no plans to alter this policy.
Foreign military aircraft which are given permission to land in Ireland are not subject to inspection in this regard. Sovereign immunity, a long-standing principle of customary international law, means that a state may not exercise its jurisdiction in respect to another state or its property, including state and military aircraft. This principle applies automatically to foreign State or military aircraft in the same way that it applies to Irish State or military aircraft abroad.
In 2025, my Department has granted permission on a small number of occasions for US military aircraft to land in Shannon for the specific purpose of transporting senior officials travelling from the United States to the Middle East.
I am fully satisfied that the stringent procedures for diplomatic clearance were followed in full on each of these occasions, meaning that the aircraft were unarmed; carried no arms, ammunition or explosives; were not engaged in intelligence gathering; and did not form part of a military exercise or operation.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade publishes statistics in relation to overflights and landings of foreign military and state aircraft on the Department’s website.
