Military Aircraft

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 July 2020

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Questions (346)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

346. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of United States military flights that have landed en route to another destination to date in 2020; the number of personnel that have disembarked those flights in the same time period; the number of personnel that have traversed outside of airside of airports here in that time period; if they are required to complete the locator form; if they have been contacted to ensure they are self-isolating; and the numbers of non-compliance. [16943/20]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade

From 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020, my Department approved 128 requests for military aircraft from the United States to land at Irish airports. The table below provides the monthly breakdown of those aircraft landings.

The flights had a combined total of 547 personnel on board. According to figures supplied to my Department by the relevant airport authorities, 68 of those left the airside area of the airport while on the ground.

None of those arrivals occurred after the introduction of the Irish Public Health Passenger Locator Form in April. Therefore the question of completion of the locator form did not arise.

Month	US military Landings
January	49
February	33
March	27
April	7
May	6
June	6