More than 2,000 passengers were stranded at Dublin Airport yesterday because of freezing fog, snow and low cloud at British airports.
Dublin Airport itself was functioning normally, and flights to other destinations were not affected. Intending passengers for Britain today are advised to check with airlines before travelling.
About 30 flights were cancelled. The worst-affected airline was Ryanair, which, according to Aer Rianta, had 17 cancellations up to 5 p.m. yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Ryanair confirmed that eight outbound flights had been cancelled but could not confirm figures for incoming flights from Britain.
Aer Lingus had five cancellations, of which four were to London City Airport, one of the worst affected by fog. The other flight was to Birmingham.
British Midland, which had a ground handlers' strike, had three cancellations. Its personnel director said none of the cancellations was due to the strike. Staff from Britain were brought in to provide a service.
The striking ground staff are returning to normal working today to provide a "window of opportunity" for talks in their dispute with the company.
The dispute is over a compensation package for their transfer from British Midland to Gatwick Haulage International (GHI).
A British Midland spokeswoman said transferring staff would enjoy the same wages and conditions with GHI and were guaranteed employment for five years. The company has offered various concessions, including £1,019 per year of service.
An ATGWU shop steward, Mr Pat Gorry, said members wanted £1,500 per year and there were other serious issues, such as pension provisions, to be resolved. He called on the company to use the return to work to seek a solution.
In another development, talks are continuing between Aer Lingus and IMPACT to try to avert next week's threatened strike by cabin crew.
