Ireland West Airport at Knock is expecting to have its busiest Christmas period in its 30-year history, as it handles close to 30,000 passengers.

This will mark a nearly-10% increase on last year's activity.

Airlines have added extra flights in the last few days to cater for the increased demand for flights both to and from the West of Ireland, with flights from UK cities such as East-Midlands, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool proving most popular.

The busiest day before Christmas is set to be December 23rd, with close to 2,500 passengers using the airport.

They will be greeted by the Mayo Male Voice Choir, who will be delivering a special Christmas performance.

The airport's managing director, Joe Gilmore, said:

"We are expecting our busiest Christmas period in the airports history and it’s a special time of the year to be at the airport to see families and friends reunited. The airport has had a memorable year with passengers expected to exceed 730,000 for the first time which is particularly poignant given we are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year.

"The run up to Christmas Day is a very busy period for the airport and this Christmas passenger numbers will be up by almost 10% compared to this time last year which is testament to the increasing popularity of the airport as the gateway to the West and North West of Ireland."

It has been a milestone year for the airport, with a visit from the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, a late night homecoming for the Pro12 Champions Connacht Rugby, the airport's first ever 5km runway run for the public and its 10 millionth traveller passing through the doors.

A six-part documentary series by UTV Ireland, The Airport Up In Knock, aired in October and was watched by almost 1.5 million people.