An investigation has been launched into why no customs officers were on hand to clear passengers who arrived on a flight from Spain at City of Derry Airport this morning..
Holidaymakers on the Ryanair flight from Alicante were forced to wait in the airport for almost two hours for members of the UK Border Patrol to arrive from Belfast to check their passports and grant them entry.
Passengers on the flight, which touched down 30 minutes early at 9.00am, were initially kept on the plane before being moved to a baggage area to await the arrival of customs officers.
In a statement, the British Home Office has apologised for the delay and said an investigation had been launched but offered no explanation for the “no show.”
However, a number of passengers claimed they were told by customs officers who did arrive that they were “unaware”of the flight.
The statement said officers were sent from Belfast International Airport as soon as they became aware of the issue, and all passengers were subsequently cleared.
Meanwhile, the outbound flight to Alicante, due to leave at 9.45am, took off almost 40 minutes late.
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