Three members of the Saudi royal family who spent Monday night in the mid-west after their aircraft was damaged while landing at Shannon Airport were flown home yesterday after a replacement aircraft had travelled from Saudi Arabia for them.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, his wife, the Princess Shahnaz Al Saudi, and their young daughter left Shannon at 2.30 p.m. yesterday, having spent Monday night at Dromoland Castle Hotel.
The small executive jet which arrived in Shannon early yesterday was not big enough to carry all the members of the entourage. It is understood that some staff were left behind while the crown prince and his family, as well as his six security officers, were flown home.
On Monday morning their Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L10-11 aircraft blocked the main runway at Shannon Airport, closing the airfield for a time, after its nosewheel assembly was damaged during the landing.
The family and its entourage were travelling from Canada to the Saudi city of Jeddah when it made the planned stopover at Shannon.
Security around the family was tight during the brief stay at Dromoland Castle, with armed detectives patrolling the grounds.
The family was accompanied by six Saudi security personnel, a doctor, the infant's nanny and some of the prince's clerical staff.
Armed detectives from the Co Clare Garda division were assigned to stay with the family at the hotel on Monday night.
The damaged aircraft remained at Shannon last night and could be there for a week while repairs are carried out. Security will be tight for the duration of its stay in Shannon.