Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-10 ============================================================ Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel Sinn Féin fully supports this Bill. I thank Senator Patricia Stephenson for bringing it forward. It is a Bill that is important, timely and something that is long overdue. As Senator Stephenson said, the OPLA has indicated that it is legally sound, so if there were issues, the Government could work through them on Committee Stage. Consequently, it is disappointing that it is not being accepted. Senators Higgins and Black and the other members of the Civil Engagement Group should also be commended on their important recent legislation in this area, which the Government unfortunately chose to oppose in this House back in April. This Bill is an opportunity for the Government to correct that mistake and to finally take some action to ensure that our airspace in not being used to enable war, genocide and human rights abuses. It is frankly a complete disgrace that this Government has allowed our airspace to be used to facilitate Israel's genocide in Gaza, as well as America's escalating wars in the Middle East. That is a well-known fact at this point, although Ministers love to gaslight the Opposition. In many ways, it is like listening to Trump because the Government says one thing but the reality, which everyone knows, is the opposite. Shannon Airport is a key logistical cog in America's military machine and is clearly central to its support for Israel's genocide and its own illegal attacks on Iran. The Government appears to have a policy of giving the United States a blank cheque when it comes our airspace and Shannon Airport. The Government also seems to have a policy in giving a blank cheque to Israel because it is failing to hold Israel to account. It is failing to ensure that there are any consequences and is failing to ensure that international law and human rights are upheld. The sanctions that have been put in place on the International Criminal Court's members, judges and prosecutors are not being challenged by the Government. At that same time, the Government is welcoming the game against Israel, which faces no consequences for the genocide, killing and destruction of so many Palestinian families. This Government lets them do what they like and we do not ask any inconvenient questions. While it is illegal for civil aircraft to transport arms through Ireland or for foreign military to use our airspace without prior permission from the Government, what is the point of these rules when America and the arms industry are automatically allowed to bypass them? The 2026 statistics available from the Department of Transport's records show that every application for commercial aircraft to transport arms through Ireland was approved by the Minister. Likewise, the Department of foreign affairs' statistics from this year show that not a single application for American military aircraft to transit through Ireland was refused. What is worse than this automatic American exemption is that the State clearly makes no effort to enforce the prohibition on arms transiting our airspace in civilian aircraft. On paper, foreign military aircraft cannot carry any sort of weaponry through our airspace, while civilian aircraft can only do so under strict criteria. As has been thoroughly documented, although the Government continues to deny it, these basic rules are not being followed. The Government holds up its hands and tells the public and Members of the Oireachtas that it is not aware of these rules being broken. It is not aware for one simple reason: it does not want to know. Astoundingly, it does not carry out any weapons inspection on civilian aircraft and closes its eyes to clear breaches by the US military. The State puts its head in the sand, as it were, lets the US military treat Shannon Airport as its own territory and lets commercial aircraft operate without any substantive obligation to abide by Irish law. The Government says it cannot inspect foreign military aircraft due to diplomatic protocols and has no power to ensure they abide by the law. In that case, the State should not allow these aircraft into the country if there is a clear likelihood they will not abide by our laws or are supporting military operations that are illegal and immoral. The State should follow the example set by Switzerland and Spain in not allowing the use of airspace and airports by the US military to facilitate or support its illegal war against Iran. It should be refusing any request for the transit of weapons or military aircraft with a destination in Israel. With regard to commercial flights, the Government claims it does not have the legislative authority to inspect aircraft and ensure they are not carrying armaments without proper approvals. There are many known instances of commercial aircraft transporting weapons or weaponry components through our airspace without exemptions. Senator Clonan has documented that. This legislation would require the Government to finally take action to prevent these clear breaches. We have a responsibility to assert our sovereignty and neutrality but we also need to stand up to the Trump and Netanyahu regimes and their attacks on human rights and international law. The Government has failed to do that. It has failed to stand up to Trump, it has failed to stand up to Netanyahu and it has failed to stand up for international law. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-10/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:02+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-10