Live Updates:
Shannon Airport has reopened after being forced to close last night because of unexpected heavy fog during a period of essential taxiway maintenance work.
Flight operations resumed at Shannon shortly after 1.00pm. Flights that had diverted to Dublin Airport have begun to reposition back to Shannon.
A spokesperson for Shannon Airport has confirmed: “Shannon Airport has reopened following its temporary closure.
As a result of the earlier temporary closure, there will be some disruptions to the flight schedule throughout the day. We regret any inconvenience this may cause to our passengers.
Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with the airline in advance of travelling to the airport. Our airport staff and airline partners will continue to work to minimise any further delays or disruptions, and we appreciate your understanding at this time.”
- Operations have resumed at Shannon Airport. Flights are set to began departing again shortly (1.03pm).
- The fog appears to be clearing at Shannon Airport (12.56pm).
- United Airlines flight UA-976 from Newark in the US has also diverted to Dublin Airport.
- Two Omni Air International flights due in Shannon this morning have diverted to Dublin Airport.
- Ryanair flight FR93 from Stansted to Shannon has diverted to Cork Airport.
- It’s now understood the Shannon Airport will now remain closed until midday however this is expected to be extended to 1.00pm
- Flights are beginning to enter holding patterns in the hope that conditions will improve shortly. These flights will likely have to divert to their alternate airports.
- A Ryanair flight from Manchester to Shannon took off this morning despite the mid-west airport being closed. Flight FR4776 has since diverted to Cork Airport.
Earlier: Shannon Airport remains closed this morning after unexpected heavy fog reduced visibility below safe operating limits late last night.
All outbound services were immediately cancelled while any inbound flights were advised of the situation and diverted to Dublin Airport instead.
Flights in and out of Shannon remain cancelled this morning while the airport is not expected to reopen until later this morning when weather conditions improve.
It is very rare that Shannon is forced to closed as a result of poor visibility and is usually the airport that handles flights from Cork, Knock and Dublin airports when visibility is poor there.
Last night however, dense fog forced airport authorities to close the airport after visibility dropped below safe operating limits.
The poor visibility at Shannon was compounded by ongoing essential works being undertaken on a taxiway at the airport. This prevented the airport from implementing ‘low visibility procedures’ which they would otherwise have been able to.
A number of flights to and from Shannon Airport were cancelled while no flights have operated in or out of Shannon since the airport was closed shortly after 11.00pm last night.
Several inbound flights which were already on approach to Shannon opted to divert to Dublin Airport.
In a statement this morning, a Shannon Airport spokesperson said: “Due to unexpected heavy fog conditions during a period of essential taxiway maintenance work, Shannon Airport remains temporarily closed.
As a result, flights in and out of Shannon Airport may be cancelled or delayed this morning, Monday 9th October. Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with the airline in advance of travelling to the airport.
The runway is expected to reopen later this morning once the fog clears, subject to weather conditions. We will continue to update passengers across our social media channels.”
Meanwhile, the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter was prevented from landing at University Hospital Galway (UHG) last night as a result of poor visibility.
Rescue 115 had been tasked to airlift a patient to hospital from Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. The helicopter crew had planned flying the patient to UHG however on approach to the hospital visibility was too poor to attempt and approach or landing.
As a result, the helicopter flew the patient to University Hospital Limerick before returning to land in Shannon before the airport was forced to close.
The flights that diverted to Dublin Airport last night include:
Ryanair
FR4795 from Manchester
FR310 from Stansted
FR1349 from Fuerteventura
FR3599 from Edinburgh
FR5224 from Liverpool
FR1463 from Malta
FR3176 from Oporto
Aer Lingus
EI110 from New York
EI134 from Boston
