Audit plan after airport closure

The regulator found fault with City of Derry Airport's safety provisions

A full audit of City of Derry Airport is to be carried out following its closure due to safety concerns.

The move was revealed after talks between a delegation from the airport and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

In a joint statement, they said action would be taken in the next few days to address the issues.

The airport was closed due to a "systematic failure of safety management". There is no word on when it will re-open.

Earlier, Airport manager Seamus Devine said the closure followed a CAA audit of repair work at the site.

However, the authority said it had been in discussion with the airport "for some time" about safety issues.

These included no effective bird control plan and unsuitable temporary repairs to the area where planes park.

There was also poor runway drainage, said the authority.

The airport advised travellers to contact airlines about flight cancellations and diversions.

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The airport closed at midnight, and Ryanair have cancelled all Friday's flights to and from the airport.

The airline, which announced on Thursday a new route to Bristol would begin in November, said customers booked on cancelled flights would be fully refunded.

British Airways rescheduled their flights to operate through Belfast International Airport, more than 60 miles away.

The Dublin and Glasgow routes have been affected and passengers were advised to check-in as normal at City of Derry Airport for coach transfers to Belfast.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the suspension was provisional and the onus was on the airport to fix the situation.

In a statement, the airport management said they were "100% committed to maintaining the highest safety standards".

Mr Devine said the closure seemed to have happened as a result of a CAA inspection which was invited by the airport management.

"This really transpired out of works that we are planning to do at the airport," he said.

"We recently have been attempting to purchase land by compulsory purchase and went through a public inquiry.

The Civil Aviation Authority said the suspension was provisional

"We highlighted the issue of safety at the public inquiry for the reasons for doing the work.

"And as a result we invited the CAA to come along and carry out an audit to regularise these various issues we have been operating with and have them formally recognised.

"It was a result of that audit - some nine days ago - that they have taken this action."

Mayor of Derry, Helen Quigley, said the closure had been highly embarrassing.

"This has been a huge inconvenience to our customers to whom we apologise unreservedly," she said.

"This is something that was completely outside of our control. We have flown over one million customers very safely over the past four years."