Private jet used in US deportations of Palestinians refuelled at Shannon Airport

Government says refuelling stop was legal as TDs call on Taoiseach to raise US deportations during Washington visit

According to flight tracking data, the flight flew through Shannon on both January 21 and February 1.

A private jet, which refuelled at Shannon Airport while reportedly deporting Palestinian men to the West Bank from the US, did not need Irish permission to land, the Department of Transport has confirmed.

It was reported this week by The Guardian that a private aircraft owned by a friend of US president Donald Trump, which has previously been used in deportation flights, stopped in Ireland on two occasions in recent weeks, having deported men from Arizona to Tel Aviv.

The plane, a Gulfstream owned by Florida property tycoon Gil Dezer, was chartered by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency through Journey Aviation, a Florida-based company. 

According to flight tracking data, the flight flew through Shannon on both January 21 and February 1.

Two passengers on the January 21 flight claimed eight Palestinians on board had their ankles shackled.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said that the issue should be raised by Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Washington DC next month with Mr Trump.

"I think the world has been horrified by the actions of the US state and ICE, as well as the US state's support for Israel.

"Ireland should not support deportation flights anywhere. We should make the US aware of this. It should be made clear to the US when the Taoiseach meets Donald Trump."

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Mr Murphy said the issue of ongoing use of Shannon by the US has been brought into greater focus by Mr Trump's actions around Greenland in recent months.

People who previously would have ridiculed the idea of stopping US use of Shannon are now open to the idea. Donald Trump is engaged in imperialism, and in that US foreign policy endeavour, Shannon can be used for all those scenarios.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: "Stops at Irish airports by private and commercial charters which are technical stops for non-traffic purposes (ie not picking up or setting down passengers), do not require prior authorisation from the department. 

"Therefore, no further examination of this operation is required under civil aviation legislation."

In a follow-up query, the department said that no authorisation was requested for those on board to carry weapons. Under existing laws, it is illegal for flights to carry weaponry through Irish airspace unless prior consent is provided by the transport minister.

Last year, when the same plane was raised in a parliamentary question by now-President Catherine Connolly, transport minister Darragh O'Brien said that the operator of the flight had a "US government contract".

"The aircraft in question is "N" registered, which means it is recorded on the US Federal Aviation Administration registry. 

It has the appropriate safety approval to operate commercial aviation operations within, into or out of the European Union. 

It is understood that the air operator in question holds a US Government contract to carry out domestic and international air services," Mr O'Brien's response said.

A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security told The Guardian: “If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them. Period.”

Last year the same plane stopped in Shannon en route to Djibouti with the US Department of Homeland Security confirming that the aircraft was transporting eight men, which it described as “violent criminals”, to the African country in contravention of a court order blocking the deportations.