Ryanair is hopeful a planeload of passengers stranded by bad weather in Lanzarote airport will begin their journey home to Dublin this evening.
One passenger, Andrea Booth of Churchtown, Co Dublin, contacted the Irish Times in desperation and hoping for information having heard next to nothing since her flight home, due to exit the Canarian island at 6.45pm on Sunday evening, failed to materialise.
Having checked in and passed their baggage to the airline, their flight was unable to land due to ferocious wind and rain and turned back, according to Ms Booth, to Lisbon where it stayed for the night.
Passengers, including middle aged and elderly people, and some in wheelchairs, spent the night as best they could in the airport and were told at 7.30am today to get ready for a flight at 9.30am.
“And then nothing,” said Ms Booth. “In good faith, we all came back again [to the check-in desk] but since then, the flight keeps getting put back, hour by hour, and there’s no one from Ryanair telling us anything, giving us quiet reassurance. Nothing.”
Tonight, a spokesman for Ryanair said it was hoped to get a plane into Lanzarote to get people home tonight.
“This flight scheduled to depart from Lanzarote to Dublin (25 Feb) has been delayed due to adverse weather conditions in Lanzarote,” he said in a statement.
“The aircraft for the flight is currently positioned in Fuerteventura awaiting clearance from Lanzarote airport (which is in backlog due to weather) to allow it to land there and operate the Lanzarote-Dublin flight this evening.”
“Oh that’s great news,” said Ms Booth in response. “That’s cheered us all up.”
