Dublin Airport has admitted that it will need to increase staffing levels to avoid a repeat of last summer’s horror scenes.
Chief Kenny Jacobs yesterday vowed that holidaymakers will have a pain-free experience amid plans for them to breeze through security in under 20 minutes in a much cleaner airport. Fed up families last summer complained of rubbish and dirty toilets, while thousands queued for hours and many missed flights due to insufficient staffing levels caused by workers leaving during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Jacobs said passengers can arrive two hours before flights this summer, unlike the advice for four hours a year ago, and said that Dublin Airport intends to have scanners in place by early next year that could eventually see the end of the 100ml hand luggage restriction for liquids.
Read more: Cannabis worth over €600,000 found in luggage at Dublin Airport
The risks posed by the illegal flying of drones near the airport will be eliminated shortly as new tech to take them out will soon be available.
He also confirmed that the regulator was asked to approve new charges for car drop-offs at the airport, but promised that there are “no current plans to charge for drop-off” and “nothing is going to happen soon”.
However Mr Jacobs, who was appointed last November, revealed the daa wants to increase the fee that they can charge airlines for every person who travels through the airport. The regulator has capped this at €8 but he wants to increase it “to double digits, closer to €10 than €20”.
Mr Jacobs said: “This summer won’t be anything like last summer. Ultimately, I’d like to see us get to a place where we can say 15 minutes [through security].
“We have staffed-up, so we will have 815 staff in security. At the moment, we have 750. We need 815 by the start of June.
“I’m comfortable that we’ll get there. They’ll be trained up and ready to go.”
READ NEXT:
- Current Irish passport turnabout time as new enhancements speed up renewals for adults and kids
- Passport warning for tourists heading on Spain and Portugal holidays
- Dublin Airport: Rules and tips to quickly get through security screening
Dublin Airport flights: The cheapest Ryanair fares to Ibiza all under €100
Travel expert calls for a third terminal at Dublin Airport as passenger numbers soar
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
