Minister admits State has been examining 'challenges' of flight inspections for '20 to 30 years'

Opposition TDs raised concerns that Ireland could be being used to transfer weapons between the US and Israel, with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy saying they suggest Shannon Airport is being used as a hub to transport soldiers to the Middle East. File picture: Denis Scannell

There are “challenges” to inspecting flights carrying weapons through Irish airspace and airports, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said.

Mr Ryan said there is "no record" of any flights that have gone through Shannon, Dublin or Cork airports that have been carrying weapons to the Middle East, despite concerns being raised by opposition TDs.

The Irish Examiner revealed that there were 1,185 applications for permission to fly weapons on civil aircraft through Irish airspace or airports approved by Mr Ryan last year. Specifically, 910 of these flights received permission to fly through Irish airspace, while 275 received permission to land or take off from Irish airports.

Following these figures, opposition TDs raised concerns that Ireland could be being used to transfer weapons between the US and Israel, with People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy saying they suggest Shannon Airport is being used as a hub to transport soldiers to the Middle East.

Responding to this, Mr Ryan said: “We have no record of any flights coming through Shannon Airport or Dublin or Cork en route to the Middle East carrying weapons in that way.

“We do have provision to say no to flights, the international organisations know our position. There is no evidence of any such armaments being carried and that’s something we’ve continued to keep a vigilant eye on.”

When asked if there are concerns that flights could be heading through Irish airspace on to a separate country, like Germany, before then flying on to Israel, Mr Ryan said that the Government is provided with details of what is on the individual flights.

“We get to see the payloads and the details of who’s on the flight, where it is going. The vast majority tend to be, in terms of military, American chartered flights, where the personnel are being brought to Germany or to their various bases,” he said.

They’re not carrying armaments, we don’t facilitate that.

On inspections of aircraft, Mr Ryan admitted that there are challenges under the Chicago Convention on aviation and the Government has been looking at the issue for “20 to 30 years”.

But he said the Government does get detailed information on everything on planes flying through Irish airspace and “on that basis, we occasionally refuse”.

“We also permit but only on the basis it's not carrying armaments, and definitely not carrying anything to Gaza. What's going on there is horrific, it needs to stop straight away,” he added.