Shannon Now Europe's Busiest American Air Force Base

[neidin]

1,000 US troops pass through Shannon daily

18 October 2004 17:22 www.rte.ie


The latest figures released by the Dublin Airport Authority show that up to 1,000 US troops are passing through Shannon Airport daily en route to Iraq.

The Minister for Transport said the stop-overs were simply for refuelling.

Martin Cullen welcomed the growing numbers saying it was good for business.

However, anti-war activists say the Government is turning a blind eye to what is going on.

Last year 125,000 troops passed through Shannon Airport en route to the Gulf and other US bases. That figure is set to be surpassed by the end of this month.

Numbers released for the month September of this year show that 22,525 troops passed through Shannon on 150 flights. That is a 17% increase on the same time last year.

By the end of this year, it is estimated that 350,000 troops will have passed through Shannon in the past three years.

[akerosid]

Well, at least some Americans actually WANT to stop over at SNN!

Now, the question is, can we apply the one for one rule to this (well, Dublin isn't getting any of the business!) That's, what, five flights a day ...

Oh yes, and then when George invades Iran . . . maybe we could give him a special all in one deal and then we can tell him that SNN is a particularly good stop en route to North Korea. (I mean, who is more scared of - Kim Jong Il or the SIGNAL lobby?)

[rotornut]

And what the hell, maybe they'll invade Iceland again;)

[neidin]

From Turkishpress.com

Record numbers of US troops transiting Irish airport
AFP: 10/13/2004
DUBLIN, Oct 13 (AFP) - The crisis in Iraq is seeing record numbers of US troops pass through Ireland's Shannon airport, according to official figures released Wednesday, with the majority flying to or out of Iraq.

Shannon airport, in southwestern Ireland, has been used extensively as a refuelling stop by both US military and civilian aircraft ferrying troops and equipment to and from the Gulf.

The number of US soldiers passing through Shannon is expected to exceed last year's total of 125,000 before the end of this month.

While nto conclusive, the figures give some indication of the scale of the continuing US involvement in Iraq.

A spokeswoman for Shannon Airport Authority told AFP that in the nine months to September, 112,803 soldiers on 1,114 flights had passed through the airport.

Most of the flights were going to, or coming from, Iraq or nearby Gulf military installations, with a few also headed to Germany or elsewhere.

This compares to 96,403 soldiers on 1,239 flights from January to December last year -- a period that included the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by US, British and other forces.

Both military and civilian aircraft carrying soldiers are using the airport, and the number of troops on board has been rising in recent months.

The highest monthly figure went through in September, with 22,525 troops stopping off on 150 flights. This followed 14,830 who went through in August and 11,932 in July.

Because of Ireland's policy of military neutrality, special permission had to be given by the government for US use of the airport, which has been the target of a number of anti-war protests.