Mystery surrounds an incident which forced an Aer Lingus flight to turn back to New York nearly two hours into its journey to Dublin.
Passengers on flight EI104 initially believed it was due to a bird strike but many of them dismissed this explanation as the plane was flying at more than 36,000ft when the decision was made.
The transatlantic flight took off from JFK airport on Wednesday but two hours later as cleared Nova Scotia passengers were informed they were returning to New York.
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Paul Keenan, an executive with online marketing company Zors.ie, was on the plane and said passengers were kept in the dark about what was happening.
He said: “Aer Lingus said we turned back shortly after take-off but that never happened…we were a good two hours into the flight.
“I didn’t like the way they said it as if we were just up in the air… we spent four hours flying.
“The captain said they were trying to work something and the manual said we can’t go any further. There was talk about a bird strike but how could that be at that altitude, that’s ridiculous.”
He said many of the passengers had difficulty contacting the airline to rebook flights to Dublin.
Aer Lingus apologised for cancelling 11 flights yesterday and today due to industrial action in France and a spike in staff Covid cases. More than 100 flights out of Dublin Airport have been axed in the past week – around 70% of them with Aer Lingus.
An airline spokesperson said that “just over 1%” of flights “have been impacted by cancellations in June and July”.
Airline management have been asked to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to explain their actions.
Cork Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer proposed the airline’s chief executive Lynne Embleton and senior management appear.
Issues pertaining to the Irish aviation sector are due to be discussed before the Transport Committee later this month.
Senator Buttimer added: “The Irish aviation industry is suffering serious reputational damage this summer.
“The international image for anyone wishing to travel here is not good.”
Aer Lingus said the NYC flight, which had 279 passengers on board, had to turn back “due to a technical issue”.
The statement added: “Overnight accommodation was provided as required.
“Aer Lingus can confirm that all passengers have been re-accommodated on alternative flights.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.”
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