A major international airport has issued a warning to passengers this morning, April 10, as protests are raging on a nearby motorway. Dublin Airport has urged the passengers to allow extra time for their journey as a national fuel protest brought commuting routes into Dublin and other major roads around the country to a standstill for a third day.

It published a statement on X this morning, reading: “Passengers travelling to/from Dublin Airport this morning are advised to allow extra time for their journey due to protest activity causing traffic disruption on some roads approaching the airport, including the M50.

“Passengers should use live traffic apps (e.g. Google Maps & TFI Live) to identify their quickest/best route.”

Several coordinated demonstrations are under way, involving slow-moving convoys on motorways, such as the M1 and M50, in protest at rising fuel prices as a result of the US and Israel’s war in Iran. Petrol and diesel costs have soared in recent weeks due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the blocking of supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, a Dublin Airport spokesperson said: “Passengers travelling to and from Dublin Airport today are advised to allow extra time for their journey due to the possibility of protest activity causing traffic disruption on roads around the airport.”

Protesters also blockaded fuel sites in Cork, Limerick and Galway. Fuels for Ireland has said that 100 garage forecourts have run out of fuel, mainly in Munster and the west of Ireland.

Meanwhile, Gardai urged protesters to end “blockades” of depots or “face the full rigours of the law”. Speaking at a press conference at Garda HQ Shawna Coxon, deputy commissioner operations, said: “These are no longer protests. They are blockades.”

James Geoghegan, a spokesperson for the protesters, said his fuel bill would go up to €70,000 (£60,939) this year if prices didn’t change. “We simply can’t afford that,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra, adding: “We’re only a small business. We can’t pass that on to the farmers.”