Army troops are “on standby” to help at Dublin Airport from this week to avoid “reputational damage” as flights continue to be cancelled.
A further five return Aer Lingus flights that were due to depart and fly into Dublin Airport on Wednesday were cancelled.
Junior Minister at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, told the Dáil on Wednesday that members of the Defence Forces would be involved in non-public-facing roles, relieving DAA staff for security and screening duties in the main terminals.
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She said: “On foot of the Government decision, the Defence Forces will be available on standby from this week for a defined period over the peak summer months.
“This is a short-term emergency-related contingency measure to protect passengers’ travel arrangements as well as to avoid reputational damage to Ireland’s aviation sector.
“In the event of significant staff shortages due to Covid-19, it is envisaged that the Defence Forces personnel could be deployed to operate the external gate posts into the security-restricted area of Dublin Airport, thereby potentially freeing up approximately 100 staff who could then be deployed in the main terminals.”
The exact number of Defence Force personnel who will be trained and available to undertake these roles is being finalised and is expected to be about 130.
Minister Naughton was responding to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who said there had been “complete chaos” at Dublin Airport over recent months.
He said: “That chaos flows directly from the actions of the management of Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, two years ago.
“They chose to slash staff numbers, drive wages and conditions down, taking advantage of the pandemic to drive through a shock doctrine. That is what they did.
“The issue is the poor wages and conditions offered by DAA and the need to have more directly-employed, full-time security staff.”
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