Words: Eva O’Beirne
Last weekend, over 1,000 people missed their flights due to delays.
Passengers who arrive too early for their flights at Dublin Airport this weekend will be put in designated holding areas as part of plans to avoid further travel disruption.
Outdoor shelter areas and toilets will also be trialled this weekend at the airport.
The Oireachtas transport committee will be told that the delays from last week were due to a spike in passenger numbers and the absence of 37 staff.
To tackle this problem, queues at Dublin Airport will now be organised so only passengers with a flight within two and a half hours for short-haul or three and a half hours for long-haul will be allowed into departures.
@districtireland This country is so bad you can’t even get out #ireland #dublin #irish #culture #irishcomedy #airport ♬ Godforsaken place – Skelly
The transport committee will also hear that an “anomaly” led to 17 new recruits being rostered on security detail last Sunday before they were certified, causing travel chaos at Dublin Airport.
Dublin Airport have consistently stated that they’re short-staffed due to staff taking a voluntary redundancy during the pandemic – but they didn’t have to make these staff redundant. Irish airports received 23 million euro worth of funding during the pandemic for this reason.
Elsewhere on District: 5 things in every Dubliner’s bag this week