As airports in New York begin receiving rerouted flights from Canada, the long wait for a number of Irish passengers may soon be over.
A number of flights that departed from Dublin and Shannon on Tuesday were rerouted to Canada when news came through of hijacked planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York.
Flights were diverted to different airports in Canada, including Halifax in Nova Scotia and Gander in Newfoundland. Due to the diversions, passengers spent several extra hours on board the flights before landing in Canada.
A spokesman for Continental Airlines, which had two flights diverted from Ireland to Canada last Tuesday, said in some instances, passengers had to be kept on planes for some time after landing.
An Aer Lingus spokesman said passengers on one of their flights were kept for 12 hours on the plane after landing in Gander.
He confirmed the passengers were now being accommodated in "basic accommodation" in the area.
Passengers travelling from Ireland were housed by the Canadian Red Cross in a number of different places in the towns involved. Some are reported to have stayed in churches, bingo halls and local community centres.
The flights are expected to continue to their original destinations as soon as airspace is opened and clearance given by the relevant authorities.
One El Al Airlines plane departed from Canada and has already landed at Newark International airport. An American Airlines flight was en route to John F. Kennedy International airport, New York’s Port Authority said today.
All outbound service remains grounded.
Additional reporting from Reuters