The Government has announced a minimum of two consular flights to bring Irish residents home following a ban on flights into Ireland from the UK.
The flights will depart tomorrow evening and will be operated by Irish airlines.
A 48-hour ban on flights from Britain came into effect at midnight in response to a new strain of Covid-19 in the southeast of England.
In a statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the consular flights will also be accessible to Irish-bound passengers who are transiting through British airports who have also become stranded.
At least one flight will depart from London. The other departure airport will be decided by the demand from those who contact the Department of Foreign Affairs assistance line.
The flights will be open to Irish residents and transiting passengers only.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said there will be no access to people living in Britain who were planning short trips to Ireland for Christmas due to the ongoing travel ban due to public health concerns.
It said anyone eligible to travel on the consular flights should identify themselves to the Department of Foreign Affairs and register to be included on the flight by calling +353 1 613 1700.
It is not possible to book these flights through any other route, according to the statement.
Arrangements with ferry companies are also being made for a small number of Irish residents who are stranded in Britain after taking short trips in their vehicles.
These ferry journeys cannot be booked directly and those eligible to travel must also contact the assistance line on +353 1 613 1700.
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Airlines have assured customers whose flights have been cancelled that they are entitled to a refund or to a change of date.
Aer Lingus has confirmed it will not operate flights from Britain to Ireland in that period, and has also said it would operate flights from Ireland to Britain to facilitate repatriation and access to connecting flights.
Ryanair said passengers effected by any flights banned between 20 and 24 December would be contacted by email and offered alternatives, including refunds or changing the date of travel.
The airline will operate all other flights - to or from Britain - which are permitted to fly, it said.
Ferries will continue to travel across the Irish Sea to transport freight, but the only passengers allowed are essential supply chain workers.
It has been a day of chaos at ports on both sides of the English Channel.
Tonight, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had spoken to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, about resolving the problems arising from the closure of the French border to traffic from Britain.
France yesterday shut its border to arrivals of people and trucks from Britain, closing off one of the most important trade arteries with mainland Europe.
Trucks backed up for miles on the highway leading to the port of Dover, Britain's main trade gateway with the continent and thousands of Europe-bound drivers were stranded.
The move has had implications for Irish hauliers who use the UK landbridge to travel to the continent, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney saying around 250 hauliers were affected.
The restrictions remain in place tonight, even though it had been thought France would end its ban on hauliers crossing the English Channel which was imposed due to fears about the spread of the new coronavirus strain.
French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari earlier said a protocol would be adopted at a European Union-wide level "to ensure that movement from the UK can resume".
Mr Djebbari said: "In the next few hours, at European level, we're going to establish a solid health protocol to ensure that movement from the UK can resume.
"Our priority: to protect our nationals and our fellow citizens."
