A meeting of the Board of Aer Rianta took place today following the decision of SIPTU to take industrial action next Thursday and on the 2, 20 and 26 of April.

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has called on the army to implement a contingency plan to keep the airports open on Thursday ahead of threatened industrial action by SIPTU members.

The Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan TD has announced the appointments of the Chairpersons of the independent and autonomous State-owned airport authorities for Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.

Fine Gael has said that the position of the unnamed government minister at the centre of the Aer Rianta Christmas bill scandal is untenable.