CITY of Derry Airport was under investigation at time of going to Press after it faced a one week closure due to safety hazards discovered recently.

The CAA found unsatisfactory repairs to an aircraft parking area in late May, careless runway drainage and no bird control plans in place at the airport and so suspended operations.

However, despite confirmation that all is safe and well after remedial works were carried out and flights are back to normal, serious questions are still being asked and an independent inquiry will take place.

Airport Committee member Gerry MacLochlainn said the situation was a sudden crisis which raises serious questions that have to be answered: "The blame will lie where it falls and let them take the consequences," he said.

Hundreds of passengers were inconvenienced when the closure was abruptly announced.

Those flying with British Airways from the Airport to Glasgow and Dublin had to be transported to Belfast International Airport while those flying with Ryanair to Stansted, Glasgow, East Midlands and Liverpool faced cancellations.

Council member Joe Miller, a spokesman for the Derry City Council-owned airport, is reassuring the public that all is well and operations will resume as normal: "A team worked tirelessly over the weekend to ensure that optimum safety standards were met and agreed remedial actions along with a full audit of the aerodrome and a review of the safety management system are in place."

Announcing the inquiry, Town Clerk and Cheif Executive Tony McGurk said: "Safety is and will remain our number one priority."

Measures taken to overcome the safety problems included covering culverts and ponds with nets along with repairs in various other areas found to be hazardous.

Problems were brought to the fore when the Airport became the subject of a massive extension which would see the demolishing of numerous nearby homes in order to provide a longer runway.