Dublin Airport eerily empty amid flight disruptions

Dublin Airport lay dormant today after fresh eruptions from the Icelandic volcano left passengers stranded once again.

Terminal One, which usually sees up to 60,000 travellers come and go daily, was eerily quiet as small clusters of people queued to reschedule trips or speak with airline staff.

Many came to the airport hoping to catch an early morning flight but were resigned to another day of waiting after the decision not to reopen Irish skies.

A group of weary French teenagers who had planned to go home last Thursday gathered in the departures area to rebook flights for a sixth time.

“There’s a certain expectation now that it will be cancelled – they’ve been through this so many times now,” their teacher Amy Moya said.

“We’re coping but it’s costing a lot of extra money with the hostel and the groceries and the transport.

“We’ve started talking about Moses and how we’ll end up walking over the sea if we can’t fly.”

Just a handful of vehicles sat in the car park, while in the normally-bustling food court some bars opted to keep their shutters down for the day.

Staff in other cafes and restaurants kept busy by polishing counters and rearranging untouched pastries as marooned businessmen held meetings and struck deals by phone.

The busiest sections of the airport were the internet hubs where people gathered to contact relatives and search for alternative transport online.

Queuing up to email her children was 62-year-old Patricia Lerch from Chicago.

The mother-of-four, who had travelled to Ireland to compete in the Connemara marathon, said she was determined not to let the travel chaos ruin her trip.

“We got here this morning and found out our flight had been cancelled. The soonest we can get on another is Monday so we’re going to make the most of it and do some more exploring,” she said.

“We were actually thinking of taking a cruise ship back if this rumbles on next week – we may have to go over on the boat like our grandparents did.”

Petru Stentel, booked to come back to Dublin after a trip to his native Romania last Thursday, has had his own marathon experience over the past few days.

“I had to take a bus to Munich, rent a car to Calais, take a ferry to Dover, a train to Holyhead then the ferry to Dublin,” the security guard said.

“It’s cost me a lot of money, about €600 so I’ve come to sort out my refund now.”

While the 35-year-old has completed his epic journey his girlfriend Ariana - who works in a cafe in Dublin Airport – was still stranded in Romania.

“She’s ok. She’s with her family but she needs to get back to work,” Mr Stentel said.

“Next time I go on holiday I’m driving. I don’t trust the plane anymore.”

Meanwhile, Siobhan Moore of the Dublin Airport Authority admitted the standstill was dealing a huge blow to shops and bars in the airport.

“There’s no doubt about it, it’s going to have huge financial implications here,” she said.

“We’ll count the cost when we get the chance to do that but for now we’re just hoping that business resumes quickly.”