Why Shannon Airport protesters focus on the American Military

Foreign Military Flights





Foreign Military Landings at Shannon Airport Dail PQ for 2013 stats.
Foreign Military Landings at Shannon Airport Dail PQ for 2012 stats.

US 630, others countries no more than 7, this is why we focus on the US.



Foreign Military Landings in Shannon and Foreign Miltary overflights in past 12 months

US 1,194, others countries no more than 75, this is why we focus on the US.



2014 PQ
Gaps means there is no numbers available or I haven't found the numbers yet.
data spreadsheet


TheJournal.ie chose to highlight all the different foreign countries who's military have overflown Ireland but choose not to report on the numbers when the became available a few weeks later which would have provided context. All these countries landed military planes in Shannon in last year

Leo Varadkar Minister, Department of Transport. February 2014

While the number of military flights at Shannon Report has fallen by more than two thirds in two years, the number of protests and incidents requiring the Defence Forces to be called has increased.

Except the Defences are there for every plane landing even when there are no protests (this is a somewhat obvious point but Varadkar tries to suggest the Irish army is only there when there to deal with protests).

15pc rise in number of US military flights landing at Shannon

The number of US military flights landing at Shannon Airport soared by 15pc.
According to the figures, the Americans accounted for 95pc of all foreign military flights that landed at Shannon in the past 12 months.

Data spreadsheet

Eoin Dubsky's collected info from Clare Champion, Jan 3, 2003, etc.



Troop numbers

The US military uses civilian contracted aircraft to transport troops, I'm unaware of any other country that does so through Ireland in significant numbers.



Tuesday, 18 February 2014

PQ about total number of US troops that passed through Shannon Airport in 2012 and in 2013.

Troop numbers data via Shannonwatch and Dail record

number of requests his Department have received from civilian aircraft carrying munitions to land at Shannon Airport or pass through Irish airspace in 2013

Country of Origin of requests USA – 566 other less than a dozen.



Yes the numbers are trending down overall, but the only acceptable number is zero for all foreign military flights.

data spreadsheet

number of requests his Department have received from civilian aircraft carrying munitions
Dail PQ 2010
PQ dail 2013
Permits Issued to Carry Munitions of War through Ireland or Irish Airspace Shannon Watch.
Reason for refusal

I can advise that the recommendations made against applications for exemptions in 2014 related in the majority of cases to munitions that are non-discriminatory in their effects.