Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 November 2023
103. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Transport the number of exemptions permitting the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory that have been granted to US military aircraft from 2022 to date; and the destination of each aircraft which has been provided an exemption, in tabular form. [49573/23]
View answerA clear distinction is made in international and national law between State aircraft (including military aircraft) and civil aircraft. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has responsibility for matters relating to State aircraft (including military aircraft). As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for matters relating to civil aircraft.
Under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989, it is expressly prohibited for civil aircraft to carry munitions of war in Irish sovereign territory, without being granted an exemption to do so by me as Minister for Transport.
When an application for an exemption is received from a civil air operator my Department consults with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice to determine if there are any foreign policy or security matters that should be considered in respect of that application. The Irish Aviation Authority is consulted if an application also concerns the carriage of dangerous goods. The Department of Defence is informed of all applications received.
From 2022 to 2023 (end October), 1,805 exemptions have been granted to US civil air operators permitting the carriage of munitions of war in Irish sovereign territory.
All exemptions granted to US civil air operators in this period have been for the carriage of unloaded personal weapons of military personnel. No ammunition was carried on any of these flights. The flights themselves are either overflights or a technical stop in Ireland for, for example, refuelling, crew rest or crew change.
The table below details the destinations of the 1,805 exemptions granted to US civil air operators between 2022 and 2023 (end October):
|
Destination State |
Granted exemptions |
|
United States of America |
892 |
|
Federal Republic of Germany |
405 |
|
Republic of Bulgaria |
210 |
|
Republic of Poland |
105 |
|
Republic of Italy |
43 |
|
State of Kuwait |
31 |
|
Romania |
25 |
|
Kingdom of Norway |
17 |
|
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
12 |
|
State of Qatar |
8 |
|
Sultanate of Oman |
6 |
|
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
5 |
|
Hellenic Republic |
5 |
|
Netherlands |
5 |
|
Arab Republic of Egypt |
4 |
|
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
4 |
|
Georgia |
3 |
|
Hungary |
3 |
|
Kingdom of Sweden |
3 |
|
Republic of Croatia |
3 |
|
Republic of North Macedonia |
3 |
|
Republic of Slovenia |
3 |
|
Kingdom of Spain |
2 |
|
Republic of Latvia |
2 |
|
Denmark |
1 |
|
Kingdom of Belgium |
1 |
|
Republic of Lithuania |
1 |
|
Republic of Tunisia |
1 |
|
Slovak Republic |
1 |
|
United Arab Emirates |
1 |
