Under the Air Navigation Foreign Military Aircraft Order 1952, foreign military aircraft (this has historically included Soviet planes) can fly through Irish airspace and use the airports, but only under strict regulations and with clearance from the minister of foreign affairs. This is subject to conditions including that the aircraft is unarmed and doesn’t carry weapons.
So if it’s carrying weapons, that’s a violation of the law. But the government have been to spineless to actually inspect planes to confirm there are no weapons.
spineless to actually inspect planes
Wouldn’t that require to land the planes first?
For what it’s worth: A lot of American military planes have landed at Shannon airport as a half way point between the US and middle East for refuelling. For a decent while after 9/11 the Irish taxpayer was picking up the fuel bill when they did as a gesture of goodwill / solidarity. I vaguely recall hearing a million a day at the time but that could be rubbish.
Ireland is strictly neutral but in practice it gets scooched around a lot for friends and / or obvious land grabs by dictators. We’ve done sapper training in Ukraine for example.
Ireland is strictly neutral
If planes are landing then it’s a matter of resources to do the inspections. Does any landed plane get boarded like the commercial ones?
We’re neutral militarily, not morally. :)
And yeah inspections on landed planes would be a resourcing issue but I took from reading that article that it was an airspace violation in this instance.
Also, what are the regulations for manifests of said flights? Are these military flights (and, i assume, except if so)? Should reduce the effort otherwise - although they can always lie…
What’s this about? Are you trying to imply that neutral states cannot recoginse other states? Switzerland recognises the existence of many states.
If planes are landing then it’s a matter of resources to do the inspections.
No it isn’t. Getting a Gard or two to look at a plane isn’t the limiting factor. If they have the manpower to arrest and incarcerate civilians who try to inspect the planes (like Tarek & Ken, or Mick & Clare), then they have the manpower to inspect the planes.
you don’t say
Calling an authority spineless 'cos it won’t ground every plane that may be suspect of carrying weapons is a bit of an exaggeration, no? Are there the means to do so?
Yeah absolutely unenforceable. Honestly this all strikes me as much ado about nothing. Someone didn’t realise, sorry lads won’t happen again, end of issue.
