Aborted take-offs are pretty unpleasant at the best of times.
You’re hurtling down the runway at almost 250km/h, and then – just at the minute when you expect to feel the upwards pull of the plane taking off – you’re thrust forward in your seat as the brakes are slammed on, and you hear the unwelcome roar of the engines firing into reverse.
It’s enough to leave anyone in a complete state. But when you’re en route to watch Ireland play in a must-win encounter against Italy, and your nerves are already shot?
That’s pretty unpleasant – but it’s exactly what happened to a plane full of Irish fans in Dublin Airport this morning.
Naturally some are trying to make the most of the situation…
@Ryanair here lads 2 hrs delayed to Brussels…… can we land in lille? Free beer ?
— Wadi (@Gowran_D) June 22, 2016
@Ryanair Any chance of a few free gargles for the green army on the delayed 06:30 to Brussels?
— Keith Ward (@keithoward) June 22, 2016
But some seem genuinely stressed
A new plane is being flown in from Stansted, but since the flight was bound for Brussels and not Lille itself, many passengers are likely to miss onward connections by road, rail and air as a result of the delay.
@Ryanair flight FR1452 to Brussels delayed over 2 hours in Dublin. Full of Irish fans who missed their trains & buses. Sort us out Ryanair
— Aidan Boswell (@AidanBoswell) June 22, 2016
And the entire Green Army is pitching in to make sure the stadium is packed
thanks.. To get to Lille, you can rent a car and drive 90kms. Good luck!! pic.twitter.com/1T00CZFpLU
— cathal (@cathal) June 22, 2016
What a mess.
But hopefully that’s all the bad luck the Boys in Green will have to endure today…