Families and friends of passengers caught in yesterday's bomb alert on board a Ryanair flight last night told of their long wait in Dublin airport as they sought news of the 176 passengers.
On board the diverted FR025 flight from Beauvais airport to Prestwick airport was a group of 71 second-year students and eight teachers from St Leo's College in Carlow, who were returning from the school's annual tour of Paris.
Last night Tom Nolan, a teacher in the school, said the tour leader had contacted the school shortly after landing in Glasgow to inform them of the incident and to alleviate the concerns of parents.
He said that numerous calls to the school from the school leader had emphasised to distressed parents that the students were "safe and well".
Friends and family who arrived in Dublin airport yesterday afternoon from 1.30pm criticised what they said was Ryanair's failure to keep families briefed on the changing schedule of the return flight from Glasgow.
Noel Aurelien, who has been living in Ballymena for some months, was concerned for his elderly French grandparents who were due to spend a week in Ballymena. He said that both his grandparents were afraid of flying and the bomb alert had only added to their fears.
Houdusse Martine, also from France, said she had been in contact by text messaging with her husband who was a passenger on the flight. "All day, no one has come to us with information. No one has explained to us what is happening. I am very angryI sent a message to my husband and he replied saying that there had been a bomb alert," said Ms Martine.
The rescheduled flight left Prestwick for Dublin Airport at 10.45 p.m.