A PLANE sent by Belgium to pick up Irish troops for a European Union assignment was temporarily grounded in freezing Baldonnel yesterday – as there was no de-icer machine on site.
The Belgian airforce plane arrived at Casement Aerodrome on Thursday afternoon with a view to taking a plane load of Defence Forces personnel on a deployment to the EU Battlegroup in Germany.
However it emerged on Thursday night that there was no equipment on site to get the plane thawed for its scheduled 6am departure when temperatures were at 0 degrees.
It eventually took off a few hours later when it got a bit warmer although it’s not known whether it was a natural thawing or if some other equipment was used.
A source said: “The plane arrived into Baldonnel, they looked for the deicing equipment for the morning take off and they realised there was none.
“They considered departing from Dublin Airport but all of the soldiers’ gear was in Baldonnel so they had to wait.”
A spokesperson for the Defence Forces said: “The Defence Forces do not provide commentary on the specifics of our operations, for reasons of operational security.”
EU Battlegroups are military units form part of the EU’s military response to emerging crises and conflicts around the world.
They can be involved in crisis management, rapid response, humanitarian assistance and more.
In operation since 2007, the Government approved the participation of the Defence Forces in the German-led Battlegroup in January 2023.
The EU Battlegroup 2025, with a strength of 2,000 personnel, is a two-year commitment and will commence on 1 January 2024 and conclude on 31 December 2025. The Battlegroup will be on standby for the entirety of 2025.
It will be the eighth time Irish troops have been involved and the first since 2020.
Yesterday up to 172 soldiers were due to be deployed to Germany on board two heavy lift military aircraft provided by the Belgians.
There they will undergo training and meet with other units who they will work with on future missions.
