Dublin Airport may stay open Christmas Day to clear backlog

Authorities at Dublin Airport have said the airport may have to open on Christmas Day to get people in and out of the country.

The airport has been forced to suspend operations until 1.30pm this afternoon to allow snow to be cleared from the runways.

Further heavy falls of snow this morning resulted in the DAA again suspending operations until the runway can be cleared.

Cork, Shannon and Knock airports are fully operational.

The airports are facing one of their busiest days as the airlines attempt to clear the backlog of passengers stranded by the freezing weather conditions.

Ryanair and Aer Lingus have added extra flights to help clear the backlog.

Both airlines say they are confident that they will be able to bring all passengers who have been stranded over the past few days to their destinations in time for Christmas.