Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has called for 200 members of the Army to be drafted in to help at security at Dublin Airport due to severe delays.
The CEO of the Irish budget airline said the Department of Transport should bring in the Army to conduct the "patting down at security" and reduce the pressure on airport security while they hire more staff.
Last week, there were chaotic scenes at security gates in Ireland's largest airport, with hundreds of people missing their flights as a result.
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Mr O'Leary said that around 95 Ryanair passengers missed their flights due to lengthy security queues last weekend and he fears that it will only get worse in the coming weeks.
Speaking to Dublin's 98FM, Mr O'Leary said: "It's going to take six or eight weeks to hire and train about 200-300 additional security staff but during that six or eight weeks they need help. We need Minister Ryan, who is the Minister for Transport, to get involved in this.
"We're proposing that 200 members of the Army be called in to help do the patting down at security screening.
"That would free up security staff to open up more security screens.
"And would solve the short-term issue to allow over the next six or eight weeks the DAA to recruit the number of security people they need."
He also said that queues at security are going to get even worse over the Easter break as there will be a "huge increase" of passengers going through Dublin Airport.
"The issue is Dublin Airport is short-staffed and the summer schedule started last Sunday," he said.
"So there are large passenger numbers going through, there was delays at security - it wasn't bad this morning - but still delays of up to an hour which is an unacceptable service.
"This weekend is going to be grim out there. We fear that we will have a repetition of last weekend, one or two hour delays.
"But that will be nothing compared to next weekend, which is the first weekend of the Easter school's holiday.
"Those two weekends you have a huge increase of passenger numbers going through Dublin Airport, families going on well-deserved Easter breaks and they cannot be asked to queue for security for one and two hours because the place will simply fall asunder."
He continued: "It is simply not acceptable for the Department of Transport to wash their hands of this and blame the DAA. The Department of Transport is responsible for the DAA, the DAA needs help.
"This happened in Brussels airport in January and they solved it over a two-month period by bringing in Army reserves to help with security. Ireland needs the same."
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