As previously outlined, 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 the Minister for Transport.
In considering any application for such an exemption in respect of munitions of war, the Department of Transport consults with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice on applications to determine if there are foreign policy or security considerations to take into account.
When providing observations on applications, the Department of Foreign Affairs reviews records held by the Department of Transport. The process is robust and includes advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of international humanitarian law, Ireland’s international obligations and our wider arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation policy.
It should be noted, that the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders 1973 and 1989 also prohibit munitions of war to be carried on any civil aircraft registered in the State. This means that flights that do not enter Irish sovereign territory but where the aircraft in question are registered in Ireland, also require an exemption from the Minister for Transport.
As such, any potential increase in the total number of exemptions, as has been granted by the Minister for Transport, does not in this instance reflect an actual increase in the number of munitions of war being transferred through Irish sovereign territory.
While it is not the practice of the Department of Foreign Affairs to comment on individual applications, I can therefore also advise that the vast majority of exemptions granted in October of this year therefore did not relate to civil aircraft which entered Irish sovereign territory at any point.
Any specific additional questions in this regard should be directed to the Minister for Transport.
