ARRIVALS:"THIS IS absolutely heaven – you have no idea what is like to be home." Outside Shannon airport's terminal building waiting to board a bus to Dublin, Gwen O'Gorman last night could not hide her joy at arriving back in Ireland after being stranded in Tenerife since last Thursday.
The Finglas woman was one of the passengers on board an Aer Lingus flight from Tenerife that last night became the first European flight to land at an Irish airport since the State’s airports were shut down six days ago.
Receiving press attention at the airport last night normally reserved for returning freed captives and sporting heroes, Ms O’Gorman was part of a group of Dublin women on board the flight that touched down before 7.30pm to a largely deserted airport.
“There was crying on the phone,” she said last night. “We had a few tears too, now, I have to say. We’re home now and that is the main thing. We are absolutely over the moon.”
She said that last Thursday and Friday spent in the airport in Tenerife were the two most stressful days. “We were there all day long and people started running out of medication because it was in their cases on the plane and babies hadn’t got their formulas. It was a very, very stressful time.”
A tanned Kieran Rouse from Ballina, Co Mayo, was the first through the doors in the arrivals’ area. Due back in Ireland last Saturday, Mr Rouse said: “We didn’t know there was a flight home until someone last night said that we could book an Aer Lingus flight.”
He added: “We got a text this morning at 6.30am to say that it was cancelled, so we went back on the computer and we saw that there was a flight to Dublin leaving at 2.30 and it was diverted to Shannon.” Mr Rouse said: “We are delighted to be back and Aer Lingus did everything in their power to get us here.”
Rose O’Connor from Malahide, Co Dublin, said that she felt great on returning home. She said: “There was no hardship in the sun. It was the uncertainty, not knowing if we were going to get back or not.”
Dolores Daly from Cabra, Dublin, described being stranded as a “nightmare”.