The Department of Transport is to meet senior gardaí to discuss new security measures in the US which may require armed gardaí on transatlantic flights from Ireland in certain cases.
A spokesman for the Department confirmed it had received a communique from the US Government on the new regulations, introduced yesterday by its Department of Homeland Security.
He said the Department was to "seek clarification" from the US authorities on certain aspects of the regulations as they may apply to flights to and from Ireland.
He also said the new measures would be discussed by the Government's high level National Civil Aviation Security Committee.
The regulations allow the US authorities to insist that specific flights destined to land or take off in the US must carry armed law enforcement officers, commonly called sky marshals.
It followed intelligence warnings that terrorists were planning to use aircraft for an attack.
Announcing the regulations on Monday, Mr Tom Ridge, the US Homeland Security Secretary, said: "We are asking international air carriers to take this protective action as part of our ongoing effort to make air travel safe for Americans and visitors alike."
On Sunday, British authorities also announced that armed sky marshals would be deployed on certain transatlantic flights.
Sky marshals have been operating on domestic flights in the US since September 11th, 2001, while the Israeli national carrier, El-Al, has used armed sky marshals for a considerable time.
It is understood that the Department of Transport wants to ascertain from the Garda if officers would require special training or weaponry.
However, security sources still maintain that the use of Irish aircraft for an international terrorist attack is extremely remote.
In 2001, the Government decided not to introduce sky marshals on Irish flights in the wake of the September 11th attacks. The Irish Airline Pilots' Association has said it is opposed to armed personnel on civilian flights.