Priest blesses airplanes at Dublin airport for Christmas
Dublin Airport traditionally shuts down on Christmas Day. Only the emergency team remains on duty.
The airport's management uses this break for an important purpose - to receive a festive blessing for the airplanes. The airport chaplain, Father Des Doyle, blesses them every year," writes Simple Flying.
"Christmas is a magical time at Dublin Airport," says Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at Daa, the operator of DUB. -- "As many families and friends are reunited during this festive period. Every Christmas, we see some very special moments at Dublin Airport - couples getting engaged, family members seeing each other for the first time in years, sometimes decades."
The first flight to open the airport on December 26 was Aer Lingus flight EI 122, arriving from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), United States of America (USA).
Meanwhile, the first aircraft to leave the airport after the Christmas closure was Ryanair's Boeing 737-800, registered as EI-GJT, departing DUB for Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), Morocco. Flight FR 7378 departed at 6:00 a.m. on December 26.