More US planes at Shannon as war in Iraq gets worse

Figures show Shannon is becoming more important to the US war effort. By Colin Murphy

As the situation in Iraq deteriorated through 2004, US troop movements through Shannon Airport increased by 30 per cent, compared with 2003.

Over 158,000 US troops passed through Shannon on chartered commercial aircraft in 2004, compared with just over 120,000 in 2003.

This US military business brought in €18 million to Shannon airport in charges last year, and has been worth €43 million since 2002.

Any troops passing through Shannon are likely to have weapons with them, according to military analyst Tom Clonan. M16 automatic rifles are standard issue for troops, and these are likely to be carried in the holds of the commercial aircraft. The M16 is personally adjusted for each soldier, and so it is highly unlikely that they would be transported separately to the troops, Tom Clonan said.

With nearly 150,000 troops currently in Iraq, and most troops stationed there for at least a year, it is likely that a significant proportion of troops in Iraq have transited through Shannon, possibly as many as half.

The increase from 2003 is due to particularly heavy US troop rotations in Iraq, in March and September last year. As troops were being rotated, the numbers passing through Shannon soared, to nearly 17,000 in March and over 22,000 in September. (The average number for the other months was just 12,000.)

And with increasing numbers of reservists seeing duty in Iraq, a greater proportion of the Iraq-based US forces are coming from the US rather than from US bases in Germany, also accounting for some of the increase.

According to Clonan, Shannon has been "absolutely vital" to the US in getting their troops "in theatre" in Iraq as quickly as possible. As Shannon is the nearest refuelling point to the US, by stopping at Shannon airplanes can maximise their fuel to weight ratio, allowing them to carry less fuel and more troops and equipment, therefore requiring less flights, he explained.

And these figures are not the full story. They account only for troops being transported on civilian commercial airlines.

There were a further 753 landings of military aircraft in Shannon in 2004, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, although the Department would not reveal information on the number of troops transported on these flights.

Commercial airlines also provide charter services to the US military to carry munitions and equipment. As with charter aircraft carrying troops, these are the responsibility of the Department of Transport. There were 816 landings of "foreign aircraft carrying munitions or weapons of war" in 2004, according to the Department of Transport.

And any US cross-Atlantic traffic not landing in Shannon itself is likely to have received permission for flight through Irish air space. 75 per cent of all traffic between the US and Europe currently passes through Irish air space, according to the Irish Aviation Authority. Under an agreement instituted last week, Ireland has taken over a new portion of air space to the north west of the country, as a result of which it is estimated that 90 per cent of all air traffic from the US will now pass through Irish air space.

US troop movements account for approximately six per cent of overall traffic through Shannon. Martin Cullen said last October, while still Minister for Transport, that he would be "delighted" to see the numbers increase, even up to one million troops. "Let's keep this in context", he said (as reported in the Irish Times), "these are simply planes landing in Shannon, refueling, and moving on".

The €43 million made by Shannon airport since 2002 comes from "tech charges" which are based on aircraft weight, and does not include income from spending by US troops on services at Shannon. A Shannon airport spokesperson confirmed that no charges were waived for such commercial flights transporting troops. Further income is made by the Irish Aviation Authority, which charges for overflights and landing facilities.