Nearly 2,000 US military aircraft and civil flights, carrying declared munitions of war, have stopped at Irish airports in the past three years.
Data analyzed by RTÉ News indicates that only 0.1% of applications from civil aircraft with weapons to land or transit over Ireland were denied between 2022 and 2024.
This low refusal rate was attributed to the “nature of the total munitions of war proposed to be carried,” as stated by the Department of Transport.
US civil aircraft must seek authorization from the Department of Transport to transport troops and equipment across Irish airspace or to land at airports like Shannon.
RTÉ Clarity: The significance of Shannon Airport as a gateway for the US military
Both civil and military aircraft intending to transport munitions of war or weapons need to apply for a special exemption from the Irish Government for landing or flying in Irish airspace.
Figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs confirm that no US military aircraft were barred from landing in Ireland throughout that three-year period.
Many of the civil aircraft flights were to and from major destinations like Germany, Poland, and Bulgaria, all crucial hubs for NATO operations.
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Kuwait, a longstanding US military base in the Middle East, was also frequently visited.
Data shows that a total of 978 US military flights landed at Irish airports, predominantly in Shannon, between 2022 and 2024.
During this same period, over 1,000 applications were submitted by US civil aircraft carrying munitions of war to land at Shannon Airport.
These requests were primarily for “tech stops”—brief landings for refueling and maintenance checks.
According to daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports, no US military flights (carrying troops or equipment) operated at either airport in 2024.
Additionally, more than 1,700 applications were made for civil aircraft with weapons on board to fly over Irish airspace.
Calls have arisen for the inspection of US aircraft, as these planes are not regularly searched or inspected by Irish authorities.
Mary Ellen O’Connell, Professor of International Law at the University of Notre Dame, stated that Irish authorities should be “very clear” in not allowing the United States to transport weapons meant for unlawful armed conflict through Ireland.
“Ireland should maintain complete control over planes landing at Shannon that carry munitions…anything intended for a war zone.
“It’s crucial for Ireland, which stands firm on numerous international law issues, to uphold the principle of not assisting any nation that unlawfully employs military force,” she remarked.
Prof Mary Ellen O’Connell advocates for Ireland’s control over aircraft landing on its soil.
The Department of Foreign Affairs did not disclose data on whether any US military flights landing or flying over Ireland contained munitions.
The majority of munitions onboard civil aircraft were described as “unloaded personal issued weapons of troops, with no ammunition,” according to logs from the Department of Transport.
One flight in 2022 listed “ammunition only” in its munitions of war description.
Of the 543 applications submitted last year for flights over Ireland with munitions of war, only two were denied.
On July 8, an Omni Air International flight traveling from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Hungary to Pittsburgh International Airport in the US was barred from flying over Irish airspace.
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Three weeks later, on July 30, another aircraft from the same airline was denied passage over Irish territory from Pittsburgh International Airport to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
The Department of Transport informed RTÉ News that these refusals were due to “the nature of the total munitions of war proposed to be carried.”
The regular use of Shannon Airport by the United States is said not to compromise Ireland’s policy of military neutrality, as per the Irish Government.
A representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs asserted that Ireland’s policy of military neutrality is characterized by non-membership in military alliances and non-participation “in common or mutual defense arrangements.”
Shannon ‘leveraged as a logistics hub for US military operations’
Edward Horgan claims the operations at Shannon Airport are ‘inappropriate’
A peace activist and member of Shannonwatch, a group that has monitored US military activity at the airport for two decades, believes the high volume of traffic indicates that Shannon Airport effectively functions as a military base for the United States.
Edward Horgan, who has spent 20 years protesting US military operations at Shannon Airport, argues that now is the time to prohibit the US from using the facility.
“I dedicated 22 years to the Irish Defence Forces and logistics plays a crucial role in modern warfare.
“Shannon Airport operates as a logistics hub for the US military. Given the current situation, particularly with the ongoing conflict in Gaza, this is highly inappropriate,” he commented.
A retired US Army officer who passed through Shannon Airport via a civil aircraft following his deployment to Iraq in 2009 expressed surprise at the volume of US military and civilian flights to the Co Clare airport but maintained that it is not an actual US military base.
“What distinguishes it from a military base would be the presence of fighter jets, routine military transport aircraft, or US Air Force facilities…akin to what we have in the Middle East, such as in Qatar or Kuwait,” remarked former Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Daniel L. Davis.
“If there are sections of the airfield exclusively fenced off, that would represent a base to me. This seems more like a leasing arrangement to utilize current facilities,” he added.
