Plans to bring stranded Cyprus passengers home

Around 250 people who were stranded in Cyprus after tour operator Fáilte Travel suddenly went out of business are expected to…

Around 250 people who were stranded in Cyprus after tour operator Fáilte Travel suddenly went out of business are expected to return to Ireland tonight.

The holidaymakers were left without an aircraft at Larnaka airport after the Dublin based travel company announced yesterday that it ceased trading.

The Commission for Aviation Regulation has been working to try to get the group already in Cyprus back to Ireland after two flights were cancelled yesterday.

Alternative arrangements were being made to get those who turned up at Dublin Airport - including a wedding party - to Cyprus.

The Commission said it was seeking an aircraft to get those stranded on the holiday island home by late tonight.

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Meanwhile, air passengers experienced slight delays at Dublin airport today as the fall out from the recent radar malfunction appears to be contained.

Although the delays were not as long as in previous days, some transatlantic flight arrivals were running well behind schedule. One Orlando flight, which was due to arrive at 3.15am, landed at noon.

Departure times are running close to schedule with most of the early morning flights leaving within 45 minutes of their scheduled time.

The airport's radar system broke down on Wednesday, causing chaos for thousands of passengers at one of the busiest times of the year.

More than 200 flights were delayed, diverted or cancelled on Wednesday, but the system was operating at 80 per cent of capacity yesterday.

The cause of the problem has been identified as a piece of faulty hardware, which meant that controllers were unable to see some labels attached to "blips" that signify individual aircraft. The IAA has said the same problem arose four times since early June.

However, the airport will not resume full capacity until a report on the incident has been received from the supplier, Thales ATM. This is expected some time next week.

All major airlines were advising those with confirmed reservations for travel this weekend to present themselves at the airport in time for their scheduled departure. However, passengers should expect some delays, they pointed out.