Irish airspace reopens as 'back-up system' deployed, investigation into radar failure underway

Dublin Airport unaffectedPassengers travelling from Shannon and Cork airports urged to check with airlines as number of flights delayedIrish Aviation Authority investigating the matter

Photo: International Flight Network

Amy Molloy

Irish airspace has reopened after flights to and from Cork and Shannon airports were suspended due to a significant radar issue.

In a statement released last night, the Irish Aviation Authority said a technical issue occurred with a radar system at Shannon.

A spokesperson said: "The IAA’s Dublin ATC system is unaffected and Dublin flights are operating normally. The Dublin ATC is independent of the Shannon system.

"The technical issue is with the IAA’s Shannon-based system, which also services Cork hence the earlier impact on Shannon & Cork.

"The investigation into the technical issue is ongoing and as part of planned contingency, services continue to be operated on back-up systems."

The airports are currently relying on a back-up radar system that is allowing flights to take off and land.

Several transatlantic flights were re-routed to avoid Irish airspace this evening as a result of the issue.

A Cork Airport spokesperson said flights have now resumed.

"Most flights are now expected to operate to schedule on Wednesday morning," the spokesperson added.

A Cork Airport spokesperson said there was a significant systems failure with radar in the west of Ireland resulting in "zero flow rate" in Irish airspace.

"A radar problem is impacting all flights coming from the west/south of Ireland. 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.

Passengers are being urged to check the status of their flights with airlines.

Aer Lingus has cancelled a number of flights and is asking customers to check flight status before departing for the airport.

Shannon Airport has announced the following diversions and flight landing times:

  • Ryanair FR 3326 from Krakow to Shannon due to divert to Dublin returned to Shannon and landed at Shannon at 22.19pm
  • Aer Lingus EI387 from Heathrow to Shannon which was due to divert to Dublin, has now returned to Shannon and landed at 22.47pm.
  • Ryanair Manchester flight FR 4776 landed at Shannon at 22.40pm.
  • Ryanair Gatwick flight FR 1183 is due to land at Shannon at 23.25pm
  • Aer Lingus Shannon to Birmingham flight - EI 3638 has been cancelled and passengers accommodated in local hotels overnight.
  • Regular flight updates will be posted on the airport's website/app and twitter/Facebook pages. Passengers are asked to check with their airline