Fury as Ryanair leaves passengers 'stranded' in tiny Irish airport amid Storm Ashley flight chaos
Some Ryanair passengers claimed they were left 'stranded' at Shannon Airport after Storm Ashley caused widespread flight cancellations and diversions over the weekend. Thirteen flights bound for Dublin and Cork were rerouted to Shannon.
Ryanair passengers claim they were left "stranded" at Shannon Airport as Storm Ashley wreaked havoc over the weekend. Ireland's first named storm of the season brought howling winds to many counties and caused a slew of flight cancellations and diversions.
Dozens of flights destined for Dublin Airport and Cork Airport were cancelled on Sunday, while others we diverted to Shannon Airport in Co Clare. Shannon is relatively small compared with Dublin and many other international airports.
In total, 13 flights headed to the the two cities ended up in Shannon, Co Clare - which was one of several western coastal counties under a Status Orange weather warning.
Some passengers who were rerouted to Shannon were left furious, claiming they were left "stranded" with "no coaches coming" to take them to their intended destination.
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Among them was Derry MLA Cara Hunter who took to social media to call out the airline over the incident. She posted: "Cheers @Ryanair. Left every passenger stranded in Shannon Airport and just informed all its passengers to find their own way to Dublin. No coaches coming. Dead on."
Earlier, said wrote that she was "glad" to be on the ground after her flight to Dublin was rerouted to Shannon: "Reporting Live from Shannon Airport! Meant to land in Dublin an hour ago, but after two aborted landings and a few hail Mary’s.. just happy to be on the ground."
A spokesperson for Ryanair told Galway Beo: “Due to Storm Ashley, a small number of flights to/from Ireland yesterday (Sun, 20 Oct) were regrettably diverted to Shannon Airport due to unsafe weather conditions. Passengers were notified and subsequently updated via email, SMS & PUSH notifications of the diversion and advised of their options.
"Despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange alternative transport, availability of transport was limited, and passengers were advised that they could also arrange individual transport from Shannon to Dublin/Cork and that they could claim back expenses on Ryanair.com. Ryanair sincerely apologises to all passengers affected by this storm-related diversion, which was entirely beyond our control.”
Meanwhile Shannon Airport issued a statement on Sunday confirming the diversions. A spokesperson said: “While all Shannon Airport services operated to schedule today, thirteen flights were diverted to Shannon Airport, seven originally due to land at Cork Airport six due at Dublin Airport”.
In an update this morning, Dublin Airport said: "Winds have eased considerably this morning and our first wave of flights is moving very well. However, as a result of Sunday’s disruption at airports across Ireland, the UK and Europe, some knock-on delays today are inevitable as several airlines have aircraft out of position. A small number of flights have already been cancelled by airlines for today.
"Passengers due to fly today are advised to check with their airline for latest updates regarding their flight. In total on Sunday, airlines cancelled 81 flights, 39 go-arounds were performed and 34 aircraft opted to divert to other airports. We thank passengers for their patience and our airport teams for their incredible work on what was a challenging day."
Met Eireann had issued a Status Orange warning for much of the west due to Storm Ashley. As of Monday, there are still several road closures in place due to storm conditions.
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