Dublin airport fire: Flights suspended for tens of thousands of passengers after blaze erupts in hangar

It has caused widespread disruption

A fire has broken out in Dublin airport (Dublin Fire Brigade)

A fire has broken out on the roof of a hangar in Dublin airport causing chaos and cancellations for tens of thousands of passengers.

The dramatic blaze broke out on the roof of a hangar with arrivals and departures suspended at the height of the morning peak, causing disruption for tens of thousands of passengers.

Even though the hangar was well away from the passenger areas, the runway was closed because of the threat from smoke. The last departure to get away was on Aer Lingus to Milan, just after 7am, with the final arrival, from Liverpool on Ryanair, shortly afterwards.

The closure at the height of the morning peak of Ireland’s busiest airport has already led to widespread disruption. British Airways has diverted its flights from Heathrow and London City to Belfast City airport, while Etihad’s service from Abu Dhabi landed at Shannon.

The blaze was brought under control and the runway re-opened at 9am, but delays and cancellations are expected for the remainder of the day.

Ryanair, whose headquarters are in Dublin, said: “Due to a fire in one of the hangars at Dublin Airport, all flight operations are currently suspended, which may cause disruption to our schedule and further flight delays are expected throughout the day.”

Aer Lingus, for whom Dublin is the main hub, has had dozens of flights delayed - though two hours after the fire broke out, its website was still saying “There are no disruptions expected to the Aer Lingus schedule today..”

The incident will cost the airlines hundreds of thousands of pounds. The costs include lost fares from passengers who do not travel, the management of diversions and the duty of care - providing meals and, if necessary, accommodation - to stranded passengers.

A fire at Rome’s main airport, Fiumicino, in May is continuing to disrupt schedules to and from the Italian capital, with short-notice cancellations and diversions on many airlines.