Following heightened speculation in the Irish media of late, questions have been raised in the Oireachtas on the so-called rendition of terror suspects by "clandestine" US-operated aircraft passing through Baldonnel airport in Dublin.
Owned by the Department of Defence and operated by the Irish Air Corps, Baldonnel has been used by a wide variety of foreign military and state-operated aircraft for many decades.
Senior sources within the Air Corps confirmed to The Irish Times yesterday that no foreign military or state-operated aircraft use Baldonnel without prior diplomatic clearance and approval from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Recently investigative reports have appeared in some sections of the Irish print media which focus on the alleged movements of specific aircraft such as G5 Gulfstream jets at Baldonnel.
Such aircraft are believed in some quarters to be operated by the US government in the rendition of third-country nationals to jurisdictions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia for the purposes of interrogation.
Some reports even suggest that Baldonnel may have been used to transit terror suspects to secret CIA "prisons" in central Europe and the Middle East.
Senior US security sources yesterday confirmed to The Irish Times that a US-operated Gulfstream jet landed at Baldonnel on July 15th this year.
They stated, however, that this jet was not being used in the rendition of terror suspects but was used to carry FBI director Robert Muller on an official visit to Ireland.
This information was corroborated by senior sources within the Irish Air Corps. In addition, both Irish and US security sources said that - contrary to recent reports - no Gulfstream jets landed at Baldonnel on August 9th and 10th this year. Rather, they said, a US short-range UC-35A light aircraft used Baldonnel for "crew-rest" purposes on August 9th.
They also said a US C-12 Beechcraft turbo-prop aircraft used Baldonnel on August 10th to refuel.
Aviation and security experts believe these aircraft would be considered suitable for the rendition of terror suspects given their short range, open cockpit layout and limited cabin space.
Senior officers within the Air Corps said a steady flow of foreign military traffic passes through Baldonnel annually on routine and legitimate air force search-and-rescue or logistics business.
They say that no such aircraft has ever been off-limits or "embargoed" to Irish Air Corps personnel.
