A woman at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 has described her experience during Saturday’s evacuation as “a nightmare.” Donna, who spoke to BreakingNews.ie from the airport on Saturday night, was on a layover in Dublin while returning to the US after a two-week holiday in Europe when the terminal was evacuated due to a security alert caused by suspicious baggage.
“We were escorted out, and the whole day there’ve been no announcements, no direction to us other than some yelling,” she explained. “We were told to evacuate, to which we all complied, but thousands of people in one line after the other, after the other. We’re here now, thousands of people, still wandering around.”
Donna highlighted the lack of support for stranded passengers. “There are no hotels, nothing,” she said on Saturday night. The next flight she could secure was not until Monday. She added that neither the airport nor the airline offered any accommodation, leaving passengers “to fend for ourselves.”
According to Donna, Terminal 2 remained “full of people” even after 9:30 pm. “Everybody’s like, ‘Where are we going?’, ‘What are we doing?’, ‘What’s happening?’ Then it took a while until all of us got notifications on our phones saying our flights were cancelled with no compensation, and we were basically left on our own.”
She also noted that airport employees appeared unaware of her flight’s cancellation and seemed uncertain about the situation. “They didn’t even know what was going on. We all feel kind of left here, and there are so many people who can’t afford accommodations for three days.”
Despite the challenges, Donna stressed that she and others understand the situation was “beyond anybody’s control whatsoever.” However, she criticized the response, saying, “There’s a mass of people here. To get an email that says you’re not going to be accommodated at all, and there’s no assistance whatsoever for people who can’t afford their own accommodations, it was, to me, pretty insensitive.”
### Airport Response and Security Measures
A spokesperson for Dublin Airport’s operator, DAA, said:
“We are continuing to work closely with airlines this evening (Saturday) to get passengers on their way following the earlier evacuation of Terminal 2 and as airlines continue to deal with the ongoing disruption caused by a Europe-wide technical issue impacting their check-in and boarding systems.
“This has been a challenging day and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding. Some further disruption to flights is possible as the day goes on, and passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for updates on their flight.”
### Gardaí Statement
Gardaí confirmed that members at Dublin Airport responded to a report of suspicious airline luggage on Saturday morning. As a precaution, Terminal 2 was evacuated and traffic entering the airport was restricted.
An Garda Síochána requested assistance from the Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. Following a preliminary on-scene examination, the suspicious luggage was safely contained and removed from Terminal 2 to an alternative location where it would not impact airport operations.
The Garda spokesperson said the luggage underwent further examination by the EOD team and was declared safe. They added:
“Based on the information available to An Garda Síochána and other relevant stakeholders, this was an appropriate and responsible approach to the situation which was presented.”
### Operational Updates
In a statement at 1:30 pm, DAA announced that flight operations were expected to resume within the next 30 minutes. The statement read:
“Earlier, Terminal 2 was evacuated as a precaution. The safety and security of passengers and staff remain our top priority.”
DAA advised that temporary flight disruptions may still occur and encouraged passengers to check with their airlines for the latest updates.
The evacuation is not believed to be connected to a separate software issue affecting some airlines’ check-in systems. However, a suspected cyberattack has caused minor disruptions at Dublin and Cork airports, with some airlines implementing manual processes.
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https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/its-been-a-nightmare-woman-stuck-in-dublin-airport-after-security-alert-cancels-flight-1809362.html