Storm Barra causes flight cancellations and diversions

Storm Barra has so far caused several flight cancellations and at least one diversion.

Weather warnings for snow, ice, rain and wind were issued by the Met Office as the storm arrived on Tuesday morning, with western Ireland facing the worst conditions.

A number of flights into Dublin have already been cancelled in response, along with the return journeys: United Airlines New York (Newark)-Dublin, Air France Paris-Dublin and Lufthansa Munich-Dublin services have all been axed.

Meanwhile, Delta Airlines flight 44 from New York JFK was forced to divert to Amsterdam after abandoning two attempts at landing at the Irish capital’s airport.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 shows the Boeing 764 perform two “go-arounds” at Dublin before continuing on to the Dutch capital.

The aircraft is scheduled to transport passengers from Amsterdam Schiphol airport back to Ireland at 12.20pm today.

Meanwhile, two flights have been cancelled from Shannon airport in western Ireland as a result of Storm Barra.

A Shannon Group spokesperson said: “The first scheduled flight of the day, a Ryanair flight to Tenerife departed Shannon Airport this morning at 7.21am.

“However, Aer Lingus services from and to Heathrow Airport scheduled for later this afternoon (EI 385 and EI386) have been cancelled due to the expected severity of storm Barra.

“There have been no further confirmed flight cancellations yet, and we are awaiting updates from our airlines.

“However, as a status red weather warning for County Clare is due to come into effect today, we strongly advise intending passengers to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.

“Flight information will be posted on all Shannon Airport social media platforms and the airport website as it becomes available.”

Ferry services have also been disrupted by the storm.

Irish Ferries have cancelled both the 8.15am and 8.15pm service from Holyhead to Dublin sailings due to poor weather conditions.