Watch: German military aircraft conducts training exercise over Cork Airport
Flight Into Its Air Training Picture: Forcea400 On German Airport Monday Cork On The Sean Henderson
A large German military transport aircraft conducted a training flight over Cork Airport on Monday.
The appearance of the Luftwaffe A400M Atlas, a large four-engine military turboprop in the skies over Leeside, caused quite a stir locally, and especially among aviation enthusiasts, as several plane spotters gathered around the airfield to catch a glimpse of it.
The Irish Aviation Authority confirmed that diplomatic clearance had been granted for the aircraft to enter Irish airspace on Monday morning.
The aircraft, which operates as a tactical airlifter and which will replace older military transport aircraft like Lockheed’s C-130 Hercules, performed a low approach and go-around into Cork Airport just before 10.30am.
It came within about 200ft of the airport’s main runway, and tracked along the length of it, before the pilots applied full power and the aircraft gained altitude again. The aircraft did not land at Cork.
A spokeswoman for the IAA confirmed the flight was a pre-approved German military training flight that had received diplomatic clearance to enter Irish airspace.
“A low approach and go-around are pilot training requirements and as such were part of the approved and agreed plan for this training exercise and the approach was in line with standard procedures,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said permission for the overflight by the German military aircraft was granted subject to strict conditions, including assurances that the aircraft was unarmed.
“Ireland requires diplomatic clearance for overflights and landing in Irish sovereign airspace by foreign state and military aircraft," a spokesman said.
“Diplomatic clearance is subject to strict conditions which include stipulations that the aircraft must be unarmed, carry no arms, ammunition or explosives and must not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question must not form part of military exercises or operations.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs received information from the requesting Embassy in advance of this training overflight, confirming that it met these conditions.”
Once the crew performed the low approach and go around, they set a course for Brest in Brittany, before returning to base at Wunstorf Air Base in northwestern Germany, a few kilometres west of Hanover.
The base is the home to Air Transport Wing 62, the unit which operates all German Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft.