Waterford Regional Airport has been hard hit by the travel chaos caused by the volcanic dust from Iceland’s volcano. Over 50 flights have been affected since last Thursday with over 2000 passengers affected.
A change in the weather could see flights resume quickly and the forecast is positive over the next few days for the wind to blow away the dust.
On Monday last, staff could be seen working on an Aer Arann plane as hopes rose that there could be fights on Tuesday after 5pm but the overnight ash from Iceland meant that the Irish Aviation Authority issued further restrictions.
Graham Doyle, chief executive officer and manager of the Airport, said things were changing hour by hour. All flights were cancelled on Tuesday but much negotiation going on between the airlines and regulators.
Aer Arann planes can fly lower and beneath some of the ash clouds but, at present, they cannot operate below 20000 feet. Aer Arann planes could be more flexible as they are propeller driven. Much could change, information is still being gathered. Much debate was going on between airlines and manufacturers, said Mr Doyle.
New problems were materialising every day. Many visitors had been affected and also many football fans with precious tickets hoping to go to Manchester United’s big game against Manchester City last Saturday were disappointed.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.
