Jet-set fans grounded by airport jam
SOME of Irish rugby's private jet set who were hoping to fly to Paris for tonight's World Cup crunch match against France have been unable to take off.
Demand for slots for private jets at Dublin airport has soared, to the point that dozens of high-net-worth rugby fans, hoping to use their jets to get to the Ireland France rugby game, have been turned down by Dublin Airport.
It is understood dozens of rich Irish sports fans, hoping to use private jets as a means of circumventing the shortage of seats on scheduled flights to France, will now have stay at home to watch the game on TV.
The use of private jets at Dublin airport has grown to the point that, last Friday, there were 46 take-offs, while 32 private jets landed last Saturday.
Today, however, there are 66 private jets with permission to take off, while 64 are scheduled to land in Dublin on Saturday.
Today's flights bring the airport to its maximum capacity for private take-offs.
That will not stop some of the more determined jet-setters who have not yet secured a take-off slot from turning up today, in the hope of squeezing their way into the schedule.
Dublin Airport said the Ireland/France game has led to a new high in the use of private jets out of the capital.
It looks like these two days (Friday and Saturday) will be the busiest ever, busier even than the Ryder Cup.
Although private jets are normally associated with business travel in Ireland, it is the leisure traveller who is more likely to have a jet lined up to whisk them away.
According to one company, 60pc of the Irish people who use private jets are leisure travellers.
