Passengers furious over ‘wait in the rain’
The group, who landed at Cork Airport yesterday after a week-long pilgrimage to Lourdes, had to walk across a rain-soaked apron because there were no wheelchairs or busses available to take them to the terminal building.
The pilgrimage flight with an estimated 170 people on board landed at 11.10am yesterday.
A group of about 15 people from the 80-strong SMA Blackrock pilgrimage group led by Fr Hugh Harkin, including one woman in her 80s, waited on the plane for most people to disembark.
But when they got to the door of the aircraft, they discovered they had to walk across the apron in the rain to get to the terminal building.
“Some of these people were semi-invalids,” said Jack Lynch, 74, who was among that group.
“It was an absolute disgrace. There was one woman in her 80s who had spent the last week in Lourdes in a wheelchair.”
Then as the group made their way slowly across the apron in the rain, they were asked by an airport worker to wait for safety reasons while another aircraft parked nearby taxied for take-off.
“I timed it. We were huddled on the apron, waiting in the rain for 13 minutes,” Mr Lynch said.
“Then to make matters worse, when we eventually got into the terminal, some peoples’ bags were damaged. The whole situation is ridiculous. I’ve been around the world, and been to airports in Australia, Japan, Korean and Boston, and if you’re parked even 50 yards from the terminal, there’s a bus to bring you there.”
A spokesperson for Cork Airport said its staff were aware it was a pilgrimage flight and arranged parking for the aircraft on stand seven, as close as possible to the terminal.
But she said Servisair was responsible for ground handling.
Servisair said it was regrettable that passengers were caught in the rain.
“But there is nothing unusual about this in Cork Airport,” a spokesman said.
“As the airport authorities in Cork do not provide enclosed walkways or coaches between the terminal and aircraft, it is the same for all flights and all ground handlers at that airport.”
He said: “We are looking at the possibility of putting in covered walkways at the end of the year.”
Airbridges are part of the overall €160m terminal building project which is due to open early in the new year.
