Travelling through Dublin Airport should be more convenient than it was at times during the summer.
Dublin Airport Authority (daa) has announced a further easing of contingency measures at the airport that had been introduced following much-publicised passenger congestion during the summer months.
Daa says the changes have been facilitated due to what it has described as a “sustained stabilisation of security processing times during August and September, with virtually all passengers during those two months passing through security screening in less than 30 minutes”.
As a result, the following changes have been introduced in recent days:
- The removal of one of the two tented structures which were set up in early June to provide cover for any passengers who had to queue outside Terminal 1 at busy times for security.
- The narrowing of the other tented structure (from nine metres to six metres), which will remain as a contingency for passengers queuing to check-in with their airline.
- The re-opening of Departures Road at Terminal 1 to vehicular traffic.
- The resumption of bus drop-offs and pick-ups, including long-term car park shuttle buses, from Terminal 1.
Work to remove and alter the tented structures, the daa says, was completed last week, with the Terminal 1 Departures Road re-opening to traffic from last Thursday morning (6 October).
The daa infrastructure team also availed of an opportunity prior to re-opening to bring forward the scheduled resurfacing of both the Departures Road as well as roads within the bus drop off area.
These roads will not need to be closed again in the coming weeks to allow for the resurfacing works to be carried out, as had originally been planned.
The changes announced on Monday follow earlier easing of contingency measures in August, which included the removal of the Pre-Terminal Departure Zones on the roof of the short-term car park at Terminal 1 and the easing of passenger arrival advice to two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours prior to a long-haul flight, with an additional hour added if checking in a bag.
This travel advice remains unchanged for the time-being but remains under review.
11.5 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport during the four months of June, July, August and September, a period during which the daa says there were no “significant security challenges” due to the “implementation of prudent contingency measures from early June onwards”.
Dublin Airport had been the focus of significant attention earlier this summer due to a spate of cancelled flights, lengthy queues, reports of missing luggage and unsatisfactory customer experience, caused by a number of factors including industrial action and Covid outbreaks amongst airline staff.
Commenting on the further easing of contingency measures at the airport, Interim CEO of daa, Catherine Gubbins said: "Through the phenomenal efforts of our staff, daa, in partnership with our airline and aviation partners, has successfully introduced measures to address operational issues which arose as a result of the strong return in activity. This was without having to resort to significant cuts in flights and capacity at Dublin Airport this summer.
"We are pleased that security screening through the peak holiday months of June, July, August and September saw ongoing improvement and our key focus now is on restoring the overall passenger experience and progressing the capital investment required to meet Ireland’s connectivity and sustainability needs out to 2030."
Main image via Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie
