On Friday Oct 25th, Omni Air N378AX on contract to the US military, landed at Shannon about 05.50am. It came from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and Kuwait with a stop at Sofia in Bulgaria for refueling. It took off again about 09.40am and then flew on to Baltimore in USA.

Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti is the primary base of operations for the US Africa Command.

On Thursday Oct 24^th Omni Air N468AX landed at Shannon from Sofia Bulgaria, and air bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It took off  three and a half hours later heading towards the USA.

Omni Air N486AX also arrived from Kosovo on the same day. It too was working for the US military.

US Air Force C40 number 02-0202 was also at Shannon on 24^th, having landed the day before at about 21.20pm coming from Camp Springs Air Base near Washington. It stayed overnight and took about 12.22am on 24^th, flying on to Cairo and then Larnaca in Cyprus. This was probably a diplomatic flight.

It’s important that all these flights be investigated at the very least, or preferably not allowed to land in Ireland because of the US support for the genocide against the Palestinian people. The US are not making peace in the Middle East or in Eastern Europe. hey are providing the weapons and fuelling war and oppression and genocide.

Even more outrageous is the supply of weapons through Irish space to the Israelis.

This week The Ditch reported that another US Air Force missile carrier flew through Irish territory four days ago on its way to an Israeli air base.

The plane came from one of the bases in the US housing the missile systems now being operated in Israel. The same plane was recently pictured being loaded with missile launchers at a US base.

Military aircraft require permission from the Minister for Foreign Affairs to enter Irish sovereign airspace. But the Department of Foreign Affairs wouldn't comment when asked if the Tánaiste Micheál Martin had permitted this aircraft to fly through Irish airspace.

The Ditch has reported on dozens of flights carrying weapons from the US to Israel through Irish airspace.

It has discovered that for at least the last three years the German airline Lufthansa has been transporting munitions to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) air base.

They were delivering F-35 combat jet components to the IDF since at least 2021. These are munitions under US and EU law. Irish law prohibits their carriage over the state’s airspace without permission from the minister for transport.

Lockheed-Martin make the F-35’s and they proudly describe them as the most lethal fighter jet in the world. Israel has been using them to bomb and maim people in Gaza.

The Lufthansa carriers are classified as civilian so these are on Eamonn Ryan as Minister for Transport. He is the one that gives the permits – or should give them – for civilian aircraft carrying munitions through Irish airports or airspace.

This Minister claims there is ambiguity around whether the airlines required permission for some of their cargo. But that is rubbish. The Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order, S.I. 224 1973, as amended, is very clear. It says that no munitions or weapons of war may be carried by an aircraft in Irish airspace without an exemption granted under the Order.

Under the 1973 Order, “munitions of war” means material, weapons and ammunition designed for use in warfare and includes parts of, or for such weapons and ammunitions.

And parts for F-35 fighter jets are designed only for use in warfare.

The government have also used the excuse that they only came into Irish airspace to save fuel.

So not only are we supporting genocide; we’re now helping the genocidal maniacs to save money while doing it.

But back to Shannon. US troops pass through regularly to the Middle East, to military bases in Kuwait and Djibouti who will row in behind Israel if or when they’re asked to.

This is why the protests at Shannon are so important.

So too is the need to let politicians know in the upcoming election campaign that they stop giving permits for all US military and military contracted planes to go through Shannon, or through Irish airspace.

We’ve had more than two decades of Shannon Airport supporting war. It’s time for that to end.

We should also demand that the government Ministers be held accountable for all the flights that have gone through already with weapons for Israel, without permission. Whether intentionally or not, we have been supporting genocide, and that cannot go without being addressed.

It’s the least that Palestinians deserve.