Man arrested after allegedly damaging US military aircraft at Shannon Airport

Airport operations briefly halted after man entered restricted area, climbed aircraft and allegedly caused damage before being detained.

The man was seen in the vicinity of a United States Air Force C130 Hercules transport aircraft parked on a remote taxiway. File picture: AP Photo/John Cogill

An man has been arrested after entering an unauthorised area of Shannon Airport and allegedly causing damage to a US military aircraft, An Garda Síochána has confirmed.

The alarm was raised at around 9.45am when an individual was observed in a restricted area of the airport. The man was seen in the vicinity of a United States Air Force C130 Hercules transport aircraft parked on a remote taxiway.

It is understood the individual climbed onto the wing of the aircraft and caused damage to the fuselage with an implement, possibly an axe.

Mobile stairs were used to reach and detain the man.

Airport Police officers and Shannon Airport’s fire and rescue service responded to the incident, along with Gardaí and members of the Defence Forces on duty at the airport.

Additional uniformed Gardaí, armed detectives and members of the Garda Armed Support Unit also responded.

A Garda spokesperson said: "On Saturday 11th April 2026 an adult male entered an unauthorised area of Shannon Airport, Shannon, Co. Clare 

"An adult male (aged in his 40s) was arrested for alleged criminal damage by Gardaí shortly before 11:00am and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 in a Garda Station in the Clare Tipperary Division.

"Investigations are ongoing."

Airport Police carried out a patrol of the perimeter in an effort to identify how the individual gained access to the facility.

Airport operations were temporarily suspended following the incident. Two departing flights were slightly delayed, while one arriving aircraft from Lourdes was placed in a holding pattern after the crew was advised of a “security breach”. 

The aircraft was later cleared to land at 10.22am.

A spokesperson for The Shannon Airport Group confirmed operations resumed shortly after the incident.

“The airport suspended operations at approximately 9.50am and resumed operations at 10.15am.”

Last November, three people were arrested at Shannon Airport after a van breached airport security and entered a restricted area. The vehicle was intercepted by Gardaí and armed members of the Defence Forces. Three people are currently before the courts in relation to that incident.

On May 1 last year, Shannon Airport was again closed temporarily following a security breach in which a van crashed through a security fence. Three people were detained after exiting the vehicle onto a taxiway when it became stuck in a ditch.

A little over two weeks later, a member of An Garda Síochána was hospitalised following another incident at the airport. Three women were arrested after they allegedly gained access to the airside area and caused criminal damage to an aircraft.