*Photograph: John Mangan
Amid the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, there have been renewed calls to end Shannon Airport’s use by US troops.
For close to two decades, Shannon Airport has been used as a stopover and fuelling stop for tens of thousands of US troops. In 2020, approximately 75,000 troops used the airport. In 2019, in the full year, the figure was 93,852 and, in 2018, it was 86,653.
There is no cost to hosting the flights, the Department of Foreign Affairs told the Public Accounts Committee in June.
Clare TD, Violet-Anne Wynne (SF) described the flights as “the shame of Shannon”. “Irish governments have turned a blind eye to the practice of rendition, the transferring of prisoners to so-called third countries for interrogation and torture, a clear breach of our human rights law,” she stated.
Assurances that the military planes carry no arms, ammunition or explosives were never challenged, the Kilrush woman outlined. “The human cost and instability of the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq over the past 20 years will last for generations. The horrific scenes and escalating humanitarian crises we are now witnessing are yet more examples of that.
“It is a horrific situation and highlights that it is high time that Irish governments stopped facilitating these reckless foreign invasions, and ended the shame of Shannon, an Irish civilian airport, being used by the US military. We want our airport, and our respect as a neutral country, back”.
Prior to the 2020 General Election, Wexford TD, Brendan Howlin (LAB) said the party would push to end of Shannon Airport for US military planes.
Galway West TD, Catherine Connolly (IND) questioned Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney (FG) on the matter in Dáil Éireann last year asking if he planned to engage with US President Joe Biden regarding the use of the International Airport.
Coveney responded by saying it was a “long-standing practice” and was fully consistent with Ireland’s position of neutrality. “Almost 3 million soldiers have passed through Shannon Airport since 2002. Some 475 American planes have landed and 734 overflight permissions were granted in 2019 alone. It is not possible to promote peace if we are facilitating war,” Connolly who is Leas-Ceann Comhairle replied.
