Flights in and out of major Irish airports have been temporarily suspended after Irish airspace experienced issues with air traffic.
A radar in the west of Ireland has caused the problem, with airport chiefs reporting “zero flow rate” in Irish airspace
Both Shannon and Cork airports have suspended all flights until the radar is fully operational, but Dublin has not been affected due to its proximity to UK air traffic control.
“A radar problem is impacting all flights coming from the west/south of Ireland,” a Cork Airport spokesperson told the Irish Independent.
“Anything already in the airspace was processed through or has landed but nothing else is allowed to enter this airspace at present,” the spokesperson added.
Twitter account Flightradar24 referred to the incident as a “complete rear failure.”
The International Flight Network has said Irish airspace has been closed “with immediate effect,” with Dublin being the exception.
Some transatlantic routes are being rerouted to avoid flying through Irish airspace.
Work is being carried out to ensure air traffic returns to normal but passengers are being urged to check the state of their flights with airlines.
Arrivals are set to recommence at Cork Airport at 10.40pm if the problem is rectified.
Flight tracking technology shows empty skies across Ireland other than in Dublin.
Shannon Airport posted on Twitter: “Attention Passengers. Air Traffic Control at Ballcasey, Shannon are experiencing issues with their flight radar. Work underway to rectify the situation.
“Arrivals and Departures at SNN have been suspended until the radar is fully operational.”
Aer Lingus has cancelled their Cork-Heathrow EI-724/725 rotation tonight and a scheduled Ryanair departure to Stansted will be confirmed later.
Flights tomorrow could also be affected by the incident as crews are not in position tonight.
Shannon Airport tweeted:” We would advise passengers travelling in the morning to check the status of their flights with the airlines due to tonight’s issue with the flight radar.
“The IAA [Irish Aviation Authority] are continuing to look into this matter.”
The IAA said: “AA is aware of a technical issue in Shannon ATC. The issue is currently being investigated.
“As a precaution, the flow of traffic has been restricted. We will provide an update shortly.”
Passengers of low-cost airline Primera Air have also been hit hard today as the company goes into administration, with thousands of passengers stranded abroad in the US and Europe.
All flights, primarily from Stansted Airport, have been stopped with immediate effect from today (2 October), with Norwegian Airlines offering to repatriate passengers with half-price flight tickets for those affected.
