The number of US military flights passing through Irish airspace and airports is expected to surpass 1,000 this year, after figures released by the Department of Transport showed that the level of military use of Shannon airport is at its highest since the war in Iraq began in March 2003.
There have been calls for random inspections to be carried out of flights at Shannon, because of concerns that aircraft suspected of involvement in smuggling terror suspects over international borders have landed in Shannon on numerous occasions in the last three years.
According to details provided by the Department of Justice, there have been no Garda inspections of any US military aircraft at Shannon since January 2004, despite repeated complaints about the issue to gardaí.
The Department of Foreign Affairs also said it had received assurances from the US government that no prisoners have been transported through Shannon at any stage.
Following a parliamentary question from Labour TD Ruairí Quinn, the Department of Transport said that up to September 23rd there had been 964 exemptions to foreign aircraft carrying arms or munitions. These had sought leave to land in Irish airports or use Irish airspace. This compares with 973 for all of 2004, and 872 for all of 2003.
According to the figures, nine out of 10 aircraft are US civilian passenger carriers with soldiers and their personal weapons and ammunition on board. The remainder of the exemptions are for civilian cargo aircraft carrying munitions or weapons.
Under Irish law, aircraft and passengers are prohibited from carrying arms or munitions on flights landing or flying through Irish airspace, unless an exemption from the Department of Transport is provided.
Mr Quinn said he tabled the questions out of concern over continuing reports about the US "renditions" programme. This concerns the alleged smuggling of terrorist suspects on unmarked planes operated by US intelligence operatives to third party countries for interrogation and then on to Guantánamo Bay. It has been reported that a number of these planes have been seen in Shannon.
Mr Quinn said there had been widespread media reports about the so-called "rendition" planes landing in Shannon, and he had serious concerns about this.
He was alarmed to learn that despite having the powers, gardaí had carried out no inspections of US aircraft involved in the war in Iraq. This was costing the taxpayer considerable money, as the Government pays the air traffic control costs associated with these aircraft.
"The statistics I received from Minister Cullen show that already this year he has given permission for 964 overflights. This is almost the same as last year's total of 973.
"This means that the Irish taxpayer will pay almost €5 million in charges for these flights this year alone - up from €3.5 million in 2004.
"In addition to these appalling facts, I have also learned that neither the customs and excise department, the Garda nor the Defence Forces have examined, or intend to examine, a single aircraft landing at our airports or at Casement Aerodrome to ensure that the declarations regarding weapons and passengers are correct.
This is extraordinary considering the evidence that exists indicating that people have been illegally kidnapped and transported through Ireland to destinations unknown for torture."