‘This is second time a volcano ruined my plans’

MORE than 5,000 passengers travelling through Cork airport were told a once-in-a-lifetime event had grounded their flights.

However, for one unlucky man the one-off occurrence bore more than a passing resemblance to another disaster just two years ago.

Michael Holloway, originally from Carrick-on-Suir in Co Tipperary, was due to fly out from Cork airport to Heathrow at 4pm yesterday on the first leg of a journey to Argentina.

But the volcanic ash cloud descending over northern Europe meant he was unable to even board the first of his three flights around the globe. The situation was a near-replica of a similar disaster involving the Chaiten volcano in Chile in May 2008, which led to three South American airlines canceling flights and forced Michael to take a 30-hour coach journey to Buenos Aires.

“I’m going to South America. Well, I was meant to,” he explained.

“My wife and I are going over for a wedding and then going further to see my son. Strangely enough the exact same thing happened when we went over two years ago.

“I must have broken a few mirrors or run over a dozen black cats or something,” he added.

The 64-year-old’s brave face was repeated by thousands of other grounded passengers.

Among them former All Blacks player and current Munster winger Dougie Howlett, who was seeing off relatives to London.

While there is hope the airport safety drama will be brought to an end today, would-be holiday makers are still facing an anxious wait.