City of Derry Airport was shut down by the Civil Aviation Authority from midnight last night due to safety concerns. Today it was announced that there will be a full security audit and that the airport will remain closed until the repairs are completed, however long that will take.
The airport was closed due to a “systematic failure of safety management”. There is no word on when it will re-open.
Earlier, Airport manager Seamus Devine said the closure followed a CAA audit of repair work at the site.
However, the authority said it had been in discussion with the airport “for some time” about safety issues.
These included no effective bird control plan and unsuitable temporary repairs to the area where planes park.
There was also poor runway drainage, said the authority.
The airport advised travellers to contact airlines about flight cancellations and diversions.
Wow, this is pretty bad considering that we have a bank holiday weekend and the tourist season is just getting started. Let’s hope the Council are gonna get the finger out and address these issues asap. Derry really can’t afford to lose the tourist trade. And local people getting back from their break in Spain won’t be too impressed when they have to fly in to Belfast – or worse, Dublin – and get the bus back home!
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