THE IRISH Aviation Authority (IAA) has warned that passengers using Dublin airport today could again face delays as a result of problems with the radar system which have caused significant disruption since Wednesday.
Thousands of delayed passengers were still awaiting rescheduled flights late last night but the backlog was slowly clearing. The IAA said the scale of delays would diminish as the capacity of the radar system was increased closer to full operational levels following repairs.
It said the cause of the problem had been identified, and that a comprehensive evaluation process being carried out by the supplier of the system, Thales ATM, was ongoing.
A spokeswoman for the IAA said, in the interest of safety, it was continuing with its cautious, incremental and phased approach to bringing the radar system back up to full capacity.
Aer Lingus yesterday advised passengers with confirmed reservations to present themselves at the airport in time for their scheduled departure. Ryanair said passengers should continue to show up on time for their scheduled flight departures, but they should expect delays.
Last night the IAA increased the capacity of the radar system to 80 per cent, and said this would allow for the number of aircraft arriving at the airport to rise from 16 to 20 per hour.
The Dublin Airport Authority said the situation improved yesterday, and there had been no flight cancellations or diversions. However, it said some flights had experienced delays of between 20 minutes and two hours.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said he had asked the IAA for a full report on the problems at the airport.
He said it was not practical to maintain a full back-up radar system to maintain 100 per cent capability, noting that the current air-traffic control system had been operated by the IAA at Dublin airport for five years and this was the first instance of a failure of this kind.
However, Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion said when the dust settled on the current controversy that a debate was needed about a back-up system.
Under European consumer regulations passengers must be offered care and help free of charge while awaiting a delayed flight. The European Consumer Centre in Dublin advised anyone who had not been informed of these rights to keep receipts for any expenses and submit a claim to the relevant airline.