IRL251 Searched ahead of US Flight

Steyr

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2010/aug/15/government-jet-searched-for-contraband-ahead-of-us/


Government jet searched for contraband ahead of US flight
Ken Foxe, Public Affairs Correspondent

US CUSTOMS officials insisted on searching the government jet for contraband as then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern prepared to jet off for a St Patrick's Day visit to Washington, DC.


The Air Corps was forced to make the plane available for an hour before takeoff so that the plane could be inspected.


At the same time, US warplanes – and flights suspected to have been involved in rendition – were routinely transiting through Shannon without being searched.


Reference to the controversial customs search is made in the logbooks of the government's €7,890-an-hour Gulfstream IV jet, which has been obtained by the Sunday Tribune.


An entry for 16 March, 2008, marked "NB" says: "Plane must be in Dublin Airport at 12.30 to allow US customs officials to check plane."


The Gulfstream eventually headed for the United States with the Taoiseach and his advisers on board. On arrival at their first stop-off in Scranton, Pennsylvania, two secret service agents joined the passenger list for the onward flight to Washington DC.


The logbooks also show how "junior" ministers were often booted off the government jet and forced on to commercial flights to make room for their more senior colleagues.


In March 2008, then foreign affairs minister Dermot Ahern had been hoping to travel on one of the government jets but was gazumped by Mary Harney. The Department of Defence offered a replacement plane to Ahern instead.

A note in the logbooks says: "Beechcraft offered to Dept of Foreign Affairs instead... Harney entitled to Learjet as senior minister... DFA refused Beech [craft], but will take CASA [another airplane] instead."


Detailed instructions on what to feed government representatives are also made.


On one transatlantic flight, Air Corps staff were told to serve food 90 minutes into the flight, with Mary Harney requiring a "light salad, no cheese as starter" and fish for her main course.


It was to be followed by fruit for dessert, tea and coffee, and fresh scones as the plane approached its destination.


Another minister with very specific requirements was Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, who asked for brown bread with no butter, tomato, mayonnaise and a yoghurt.

In special circumstances, regional airports were actually kept open late to facilitate ministers travelling home. On one journey to Brussels for Coughlan, Knock Airport agreed to "remain open until 20:30 to facilitate [the] mission". Changes were also made for personal commitments.


During one trip to Brussels, Minister Micheál Martin asked to return to Ireland via Cork so that he could attend a funeral. Martin also asked that the plane "wait in Cork" so that he could fly to Dublin.


Aside from the two government jets, the Cabinet also had use of other aircraft including the Beechcraft, the CASA and helicopters.

On one occasion in January 2008, health minister Mary Harney had been hoping to travel to Cork on board the Learjet. However, she was told the plane could not land due to high winds and was offered the use of a CASA fishery patrol vessel instead.

She declined, perhaps fearing a repeat of the controversy when she used the CASA plane to attend the opening of an off-licence belonging to a friend in Co Leitrim.


One potential controversy that might have been avoided was the embarrassment caused when it emerged that on 71 separate occasions, Central Bank staff had travelled abroad with their spouses.


The government claimed they knew little or nothing about it yet on a flight to Larnaca in Cyprus in January 2008, former Central Bank governor John Hurley was accompanied by his wife. A passenger on the flight that day was then tánaiste and finance minister Brian Cowen.


The documents were released by the Department of Defence in response to a Freedom of Information request with certain redactions.


The jets were also used for VIPs visiting Ireland with the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso enjoying a short jaunt to Cork on the Gulfstream IV.


Some ministers even managed to use the jet to save a few euro for their Departments.


Minister Willie O'Dea, on a trip to Chad, agreed that an Air Corps officer, who was due to start a tour in Africa, could jump on board. There were "issues with commercial flights" and it was agreed the passenger could use the jump-seat. Another impromptu passenger was the then EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy who hopped aboard a Learjet flight to France back in 2008 in the company of Brian Lenihan.

sdanseo

Sunday Tribune are just finding fault with everything here...try looking instead at the €25.3 billion wasted bailing out Anglo Irish.

nag

Regardless it still makes for very interesting reading.

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

Jim236

I can't believe that a government jet carrying the Taoiseach could be stopped and searched on Irish soil by US customs, yet our government were 'powerless' to stop and search US rendition flights transitting Shannon.

Foggy43

Remember what happened to the US military aircraft parked in Shannon a few years back. Demonstrators damaged them. They were arrested but allowed walk free by a court judge. Could this have been around the same time.

xflyer

Given that it was Bertie, maybe they knew something we didn't know at the time.

I don't know what the protocols for visiting VIP aircraft are in the USA. But I doubt if ours was singled out in any way. It's also worth pointing out that far from being 'forced' to present for inspection. In fact it was a benefit due to the fact that we here in Ireland can pass through Customs and Immigration before travelling to the USA. Very few countries enjoy this privilege and it means minimum delay at the other end. Far from being a bad thing, it's a good thing.

That's a typically distorted newspaper report.

As for the transiting American aircraft, that's the key word; 'transiting'. Ireland wasn't their ultimate destination. As for the rendition issue, this is largely fantasy. The whole point of rendition was to keep suspects out of the US and move them from one country to another sympathetic for interrogation. Thus they are hardly likely to be flying them back and forth to the USA through Shannon.

Steyr

xflyer wrote: »

In fact it was a benefit due to the fact that we here in Ireland can pass through Customs and Immigration before travelling to the USA. Very few countries enjoy this privilege and it means minimum delay at the other end. Far from being a bad thing, it's a good thing.

The UK or pretty much all of Europe does not have this AFAIK, thats why BA stop off here on the Business Flight.

Turbulent Bill

xflyer wrote: »

I don't know what the protocols for visiting VIP aircraft are in the USA. But I doubt if ours was singled out in any way. It's also worth pointing out that far from being 'forced' to present for inspection. In fact it was a benefit due to the fact that we here in Ireland can pass through Customs and Immigration before travelling to the USA. Very few countries enjoy this privilege and it means minimum delay at the other end. Far from being a bad thing, it's a good thing.

I'd make a distinction between commercial flights / customers being screened by US Customs, and government officials on official business. What right have they to inspect government property, and what exactly were they trying to find - excess shamrock?!

Can you imagine Irish Customs demanding to inspect Air Force One if Obama ever came to visit? The response would be short...