Air traffic controllers were forced to close the runways at Dublin Airport yesterday (July 9) after malfunctions with its radar system.
A technical glitch with the labelling system reportedly left controllers unable to identify incoming aircraft, prompting a decision to cancel or divert all inbound flights at around 2pm.
Pending an engineer’s report into the fault, the airport will be operating at just 70 per cent capacity this morning, handling 20 departures and 16 incoming flights per hour.
Lillian Cassin, spokesperson for the Irish Aviation Authority, commented: “Obviously, it’s not acceptable and that’s why every effort has been made to identify the problem – and we’re confident now we have identified the problem in conjunction with the manufacturers of this air traffic system.”
She stressed that the entire system is “safe” and “stable,” but acknowledged there would be further delays for passengers of the gateway’s two main carriers, Aer Lingus and Ryanair.
“It’s going to be extremely busy and difficult to get away,” added an Aer Lingus spokesman. “But passengers with confirmed bookings, we would ask them to check in as normal.”
