The carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft

The 1944 Chicago Convention is the main treaty governing international civil aviation.

Article 35 of this Convention relates to the carriage of Munitions of War (MW) in the sovereign territory of a state.

This is implemented in Irish law in:

• the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order, 1973;and
• the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) (Amendment) Order, 1989.

Under these Orders, the carriage of MW is prohibited on any civil aircraft in Irish sovereign territory/airspace and on Irish registered civil aircraft, wherever they may be, unless an exemption for such carriage is granted by the Minister for Transport.

The 1944 Chicago Convention and the above mentioned Irish legislation apply to civil aircraft only. State aircraft, including military aircraft, are outside the remit of the Department of Transport.

Applications must be submitted a minimum of 2 working days prior to the intended date of departure for:

• overflights;

• stops for non-traffic purposes; and

• flights to, from and/or through Ireland.

If possible, a greater notice period is appreciated.

Applications submitted on a Friday, a weekend or a holiday may only begin to be processed the next working day. Please note that weekends and holidays are not considered sufficient notice.

Civil Air Ireland in the Department of Transport is available to answer queries and process applications for an exemption for the carriage of MW on civil aircraft, during regular office hours.

Office hours (times are GMT)

Contact details

Applications must be submitted, using the appropriate form only and additional paperwork as required.

Emails are the preferred medium of correspondence.

In order to comply with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation), please ensure no personal information pertaining to aircrew and passengers is supplied as part of an application for an exemption, apart from the personal information specifically requested on the application form.

Applications for an exemption must detail specifically what is being carried, why and for whom, providing as much detail as possible.

In order to facilitate any unforeseen operational changes, or weather related, technical or other operational delays, a granted exemption is valid for a period of 3 days after the dates indicated.

This application process is for the granting of an exemption for the carriage of MW on civil aircraft only, and does not remove any other requirements laid down by other agencies, airports and stakeholders.

If the packaging of MW, also classified as Dangerous Goods (DG), does not comply with ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, the applicant must provide a copy of the exemption issued by the State of Origin of the flight/the State of Registration of the air operator, as applicable.

If any of the MW, also classified as DG, is listed as forbidden in ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, the applicant must provide a copy of the exemption issued by the State of Origin of the flight/the State of Registration of the air operator, as applicable.

If, after submitting an application for an exemption or having been granted an exemption, there has been a change to:

• the MW carried;

• the aircraft to be used;

• the route to be flown; or

• the timings detailed (outside of the 3 day validity period for a granted exemption),

please resubmit an amended application, highlighting any change.

If the flight detailed on a submitted application has been cancelled, this should be immediately communicated to Civil Air Ireland.

Civil Air Ireland publishes information pertaining to the number of applications received for an exemption for the carriage of MW on civil aircraft, and of those, which were granted, refused and cancelled.