Ryanair, EasyJet Ground Planes as Ophelia Hits Ireland
By Thomas Seal, Bloomberg News | Oct. 16, 2017
Airlines including Ryanair Holdings Plc and IAG SA's Aer Lingus and British Airways are set to ground hundreds of flights and said more cancellations are likely as 150-kilometer (90-mile) per hour winds from Storm Ophelia slammed into Ireland.
Ryanair halted 92 flights from across Europe as of 12:25 p.m. Irish time, according to updates on its website. Dublin-based competitor Aer Lingus and low-cost rival EasyJet Plc canceled 50 services each while British Airways said stormy weather will cause disruptions in the U.K., including a "small number" of cancellations at London Heathrow airport.
Ireland is an important aviation market as the base for Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, and a refueling platform for some flights across the Atlantic.
Irish authorities warned some of the worst storm conditions to hit the country in 50 years will endanger lives as the country's Met Eireann weather service extended its most severe warning nationwide for the first time. Authorities are planning for significant flood damage and severe transport disruptions and are warning people to stay indoors. The former hurricane has also been deemed a potential risk to life by the U.K.'s Met Office weather agency.
Air France-KLM Group's Cityjet dropped three flights and Deutsche Lufthansa AG called off two, which it said affected 500 passengers. Flybe Group Plc said it has halted 47 flights primarily around Belfast City, Dublin, Knock and the Isle of Man. Norwegian Air Shuttle AS said routes from Dublin to Oslo and Copenhagen have been canceled.