Normal service resumes at Cork Airport, but cloud of grief remains - Belfast Telegraph

A handful of weary travellers watched as Ryanair flight FR9853 emerged in the darkened skies over southern Cork last night.

Touching down at 7.14pm, the plane thundered down the runway before gradually coming to a halt a few hundred yards from the airport terminal.

The flight en route from London Gatwick was the first commercial landing since Thursday's air crash which claimed the lives of six people.

This small airport, situated on a hill about five miles from the city centre, had been shut down for more than 30 hours following the accident.

It finally reopened to air traffic last night, with full services |expected to resume today.

Flights had remained grounded for most of yesterday as a team of investigators sifted through the mangled wreckage of flight NM7100.

The full, catastrophic horror of the fatal accident was still evident as the charred shell of the Manx2 aircraft lay on a grass verge over to the side of Runway 17. The plane had been attempting a third landing in heavy fog when it smashed into the Tarmac before overturning and careering on to the grass verge in a ball of flames.

By mid-afternoon, once the investigators had completed their painstaking search, a crane was brought on to the runway to clear the wreckage.

Although no flights were taking off, the terminal building was still packed with travellers.

Passengers were able to check in before being bussed to Shannon Airport, around two hours away, where most flights had been diverted to.

Many stopped to sign a book of condolence which had been placed close to the front entrance of the terminal.

Meanwhile, a few miles away, the first survivors were being |discharged from hospital.

Donal Walsh and Laurence Wilson were led out through a side entrance, away from the dozens of journalists and photographers who were positioned at the main entrance.

By the early evening Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness had arrived at the hospital to speak to survivors and families.

He also met with medics who had tended those who were injured in the crash.

Meanwhile, as six heartbroken families prepare to bury their loved-ones, the focus is now shifting to the investigation into what caused the crash.

A team of 18 experts, including eight from Spain and America, spent several hours at the site.

The foggy weather which had blanketed the area shortly before the crash will be one area of focus, as will the crew's apparent lack of experience.

Speaking to journalists at the airport, Noel Hayes, the chairman of Manx2 airline, insisted both the pilot and co-pilot were fully qualified.

However, he was unable to provide detailed answers to many questions, all too often referring to the investigation which he said would establish the facts.

Those facts could, however, be a year away, when the full report is published.

And the longer the wait, the more questions will start to pile up surrounding flight NM7100.