Government ‘must warn against airspace intrusions’

The Government has been urged to ensure an upcoming Cold War era cat-and-mouse game between the British and Russian military, which will potentially play out off our coast, does not spill into Irish-controlled airspace and cause passenger jets to be grounded or diverted.

Fears have been expressed that the British shadowing of a Russian fleet, led by the 55,000-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, could lead to a repeat of an incident last year when Russian bombers strayed into Irish-controlled airspace, cloaking their presence to commercial jets.

The Tu-95 ‘bear’ bombers criss-crossed in and out of Irish-controlled airspace in an effort to evade shadowing British fighter jets. It’s believed they were using the opportunity to test Britain’s western air defences.