There were emotional scenes at Dublin Airport as the first flights since the 9/11 attacks arrived from the United States.
From 6.00 am people congregated in the arrival hall awaiting loved ones, some in the hope that their relatives would get a coveted seat. At 6.27 am Aer Lingus flight EI2102 from New York touched down and the passengers were greeted with tears and smiles in equal measure. One woman described her experience,
You’d have to be in New York to realise the scale of the carnage...it’s still burning now, even when we were taking off tonight.
Probably the most harrowing sight in the arrivals hall was that of cabin staff overcome with emotion, who burst into tears, aware of the fate that had befallen their colleagues on the four hijacked planes. One flight attendant described events as,
Probably the worst week of my life.
Meanwhile, Aer Lingus and Continental say their services are returning to normal.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 16 September 2001. The reporter is Ingrid Miley.
