Mohan Sinha
19 Nov 2025

DUBLIN, Ireland: Irish taxpayers have paid 10 million euros for air traffic control services used by U.S. military aircraft flying through airspace under Ireland's control, new figures show.

Aircraft that pass through Irish-controlled airspace usually pay fees to AirNav Ireland (ANI), the semi-state body that provides these services. But the Irish Government has chosen to exempt foreign military flights from these charges, leading to a total of 10.1 million euros in waived fees for the United States since early 2018.

In addition, security provided by the Irish Defence Forces for U.S. military aircraft at Shannon Airport cost another 965,471 euros between 2018 and 2022.

The Departments of Defence and Transport released the figures this week in response to parliamentary questions from Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell.

Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien said ANI charges for en-route services through EUROCONTROL, the European air traffic management organisation. But Ireland, like many other countries, uses a discretionary policy to exempt foreign military aircraft from these fees.

"At international level, the usual policy is to exempt foreign military flights from en-route charges. Ireland, along with most of EUROCONTROL's 41 member states, follows this practice," O'Brien said.

He added that between 2018 and September 2025, the cost to the state for en-route and North Atlantic communications charges for U.S. military aircraft was 10.1 million euros, including VAT. Terminal charges for U.S. military aircraft that landed in Irish airports added another 500,000 euros.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Simon Harris said security provided by the Defence Forces for U.S. military aircraft at Shannon Airport costs taxpayers an average of 241,368 euros per year. Although more recent figures were not available, the total cost between 2018 and 2022 was almost one million euros.