Tánaiste Forbids Flights Carrying Munitions In Irish Airspace
Tánaiste forbids flights carrying munitions in Irish airspace. He said such flights would not be granted permission to fly in Irish space who refuse to abide by the regulations.
Following the Department of Transport’s confirmation that nine civilian planes were transporting war armaments, purportedly bound for Israel, Tánaiste Micheál Martin affirmed this decision. They entered the Irish airspace without permission from Irish authorities and clearly did not follow the guidelines.
(Also read: Flight Bringing Detainees Released by Russia Arrives in the U.S.)
Tánaiste forbids flights as the department is still working on getting the confirmation for those flights. It needs to confirm the accuracy of the reports regarding the entrance of munitions into Irish airspace.
The department declared it would not be appropriate to set any guidelines for future flights until the details are confirmed. The government would take action after “the facts have been fully established”.
Why Tánaiste forbids flights carrying munitions?
Speaking to the news media, Michael Martin said, “In terms of planes flying in Irish airspace, sovereign airspace, the government never received any request (for overflight permission). That’s what was said in the Dáil. So there was nothing to deny because the government wasn’t aware of any violations of Irish airspace”.
He further added that the Department of Transport is in constant touch with the authorities of Belgium to look into the matter in detail.
He was of the view that once further clarifications about the flights carrying munitions in Irish airspace are received and their pertinent airlines, the government would then be in a position to take clear action against the violation of Irish sovereign airspace.
For now, he expected that the basic action they could only take was warning such flights not to move through Irish airspace in violation of the country’s air rules. He wants the airlines to be honest and not get involved in shadowing planes or flying those who totally deny other country’s respect.
Tánaiste forbids flights just in the form of a warning for now as it is a matter of government action and would ensure serious consequences for those who have been engaged in such activities recently. Tánaiste is waiting for the final report from the Department of Transport.
He constantly emphasised that it is the current need of time to stay updated on what type of lights are flying over Ireland and what their intentions are so that Ireland knows that its airspace is not used for munition carrying, especially those involved in the war against Gaza.
According to the Air Navigation Act which was first enacted in 1946, the orders are strict regarding the ban of such flights and the government can generate orders for the prohibition of these flights in certain circumstances.
So far, the nine flights detected had to undergo no such exemptions in the light of statutory instruments related to the Act.
Meanwhile, the department is actively pursuing the matter and is “following up” about the flight manifests along with the cargo being carried inside them.
