Knock board refuses to rule out US military flights

The board of Knock Airport has refused to rule out the possibility that it may seek to promote the airport as a potential stopover point for US military flights.

The statement follows comments from a recent board appointee raising the prospect of such a move.

The appointee, businessman Ulick McEvaddy, already has a lucrative contract to refuel US military aircraft at Shannon Airport.

Knock Airport said today that Mr McEvaddy's comments were his personal opinions and any decision on allowing military flights at the Co Mayo facility would only be made in light of the views of all board members.

It also said its current priorities were to develop medium and long-haul passenger services in Knock.

However, the airport's board went on to say that Mr McEvaddy has a wealth of experience in aviation and his views would be taken into consideration should the possibility of seeking US military traffic arise in the future.