Responsibility for the regulation of foreign aircraft landing or overflying the State is shared between Departments. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has primary responsibility for the regulation of foreign military and state aircraft, while the Department of Transport leads on the regulation of civil aircraft.
All foreign military and state aircraft wishing to overfly, or land in, the State require diplomatic clearance. Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions 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.
There is a separate system in place for civil aircraft managed by the Department of Transport. The Government is clear with all our international partners, including the United States, on the systems in place for both military and civil aircraft.
I am aware of media reports that suggest that a US military plane recently landed in Shannon Airport on 12 October. Having reviewed the Department’s records, the flight in question was a civil aircraft that travelled from South Carolina to Athens, Greece, and landed in Shannon Airport on 12 October for a technical stop-over.
As this was a civil aircraft, no request for diplomatic clearance would have been sought or required from the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. The regulation of civil aircraft and flights is a matter for the Department of Transport.
