Shannonwatch are appalled by reports that flights carrying munitions to Israel have been flying through Irish airspace since October 2023, and call for decisive action from the government to end Irish complicity in the supply of weapons being used to murder Palestinians.

Details published by The Ditch indicate that on at least six occasions Ireland’s weak oversight policies were breached by cargo airlines carrying detonators, missile safety and arming devices, explosives that propel rounds of ammunition from firearms, and other munitions of war.

Join Shannonwatch and the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign for a National Mobilisation at Shannon Airport on Sunday 8th September, between 2pm and 3.30pm, to say ‘Stop Arming Israel – No weapons or military flights to Israel through Shannon!’

Ten months into Apartheid Israel’s genocide in Gaza and brutality in the West Bank, the US and other states continue to supply weapons, ammunition and other forms of support to Israel – making them directly complicit in these heinous crimes against humanity. The Irish government steadfastly refuses to inspect US warplanes that stop at Shannon Airport or otherwise use Irish airspace. This is unconscionable!

Ireland was still facilitating war and war crimes at Shannon Airport last week. On Thursday August 15th a US Navy Hercules C-130T landed at about 18.20 coming from Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst near New York. Its registration number is 16-4998.

Image source: here (Creative Commons license)

Two days earlier, on August 13th, another US Navy C130T registration 16-5349 landed at Shannon at about 11.12am coming from Brussels. On August 9th it was patrolling in the Persian Gulf with landings in Bahrain and UAE. And on August 11th it flew from Bahrain to Brussels via a refuelling stop at Chania in Crete. 

Peace activists have started to hold vigils at Shannon Airport every weekend for the months of July and August, with the aim of highlighting and challenging the Irish government’s role in assisting the United States military in its overseas wars, and the war on Gaza in particular, by allowing military aircraft to transit and transport weaponry through Shannon. All are welcome to participate.

The vigils are being held from 6am each SAturday and Sunday morning, with the organisers keen to have a visible presence as passengers disembark from international flights and leave the airport.

At Shannon today the Gardai were asked to search and investigate a US Air Force Boeing C40 registration 02-0042 that was at Shannon Airport, having come from Tel Aviv in Israel. The request was made of the Inspector in Charge at the barricades that blocked our access to the airport, and it was made on the basis that the US is assisting Israel with genocide against the Palestinian people. The inspector said he acknowledged the request, but did not say whether the aircraft would be searched or investigated.

Shannon Airport was awash with US Army personnel this morning (May 6th), as two plane loads of troops sat around the duty free waiting to be brought home.

Omni Air International flight OAE574 / OY574 left Shannon with the first plane load of troops at 6 minutes past midday, on its way to Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia. It had also been at Shannon yesterday, arriving at around 21.10 and leaving at 23.40.

The following statement was read today at the entrance to Shannon Airport. A copy was handed to the Gardai who are asked to ensure weapons or other military support is not being provided via Shannon to the state of Israel in breach of international laws.

Successive Irish Governments since 1939 have continuously stated that the Irish State was and is pursuing a policy of neutrality. Up until 1955 this was an isolationist type of neutrality, but when Ireland was allowed to join the United Nations and became involved in UN peacekeeping operations, a policy of active neutrality has been pursued promoting international peace and justice. This policy is supported by the vast majority of the Irish people. As a result, the Irish government is obliged to comply with international laws on neutrality. These obligations are being seriously breached by US military use of Shannon Airport while the US has been waging wars of aggression in the Middle East and elsewhere.

On April 10th, a US Air Force C17 Globemaster transport aircraft number 08-8201 arrived at Shannon Airport at 22.50, coming from MacDill US Air Force Base in Tampa Florida. After refuelling it took off at 00.55am on April 11th and flew on directly to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Today, April 13th, this same aircraft has been tracked over Israel and over Lebanon.

A major national mobilisation against the US military use of Shannon Airport will be held in Shannon on Sunday April 14^th. It will call for an immediate end to the use of the airport by the US military. The particular context is the ongoing military support by the US for Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The gathering is being supported by all the major anti-war organisations in the country, and by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

At least 1,000 armed US soldiers are likely to have passed through Shannon Airport over a 24 hour period covering Friday and Saturday last, and several hundred more probably passed through Irish airspace, mainly to and from the Middle East. All were on Omni Air flights on contract to the US military, and there may well have been more on other airlines. Shannon Airport is being used to support multiple wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine.