Aer Lingus has been forced to cancel several flights from Manchester Airport to Ireland today due to Storm Ashley which is battering parts of the UK and Ireland. Services to both the Irish capital Dublin and Belfast in Northern Ireland have been cancelled.

An Aer Lingus flight bound for Dublin Airport was forced to make an emergency return to London's Heathrow Airport on Monday night. The flight, EI179, had only just taken off at around 9pm on Monday when it had to turn back after signalling an emergency, reports Dublin Live.

Customers flying with Aer Lingus to Nashville or any other North American destination via connection through Dublin can avail of Dublin Airport’s US Pre-Clearance facility. The service allows customers to pre-clear all US immigration and customs formalities, meaning you’re effectively on US soil once you're cleared.