Runway deemed “most important thing Ireland will build in a generation” to open tomorrow

The project has been in the works since 2018.

A new runway at Dublin Airport is set to open on Wednesday, a development which was flagged with quite high expectations at the time of it's announcement a number of years back. The North Runway is set to facilitate an inaugural flight on Wednesday (24 August). https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/status/1561774814255357962 The runway itself is entirely made of concrete, and measures 3,110 metres in length. Including taxiways, the new addition to the airport is 306,000 square metres in measure. The North Runway was first announced by Dublin Airport Authority (daa) Chief Executive Dalton Phillips back in April 2018. At the time, Phillips described the runway as the "most important thing Ireland will build in a generation". "North Runway will be Ireland's new path to the world, and will help position the country to compete globally in a post-Brexit environment. It will underpin the growth of Irish tourism, trade, and foreign direct investment for the benefit of the entire country," Phillips said. The project was set to be finished in early 2021, but was delayed until now. The announcement is the latest positive news story to emerge from Dublin Airport, as there has been a "significant improvement" on security times for passengers travelling through the airport. Passengers are now advised to arrive two hours in advance for a short-haul flight, and three hours for a long-haul flight, while those wishing to check a bag should also allow additional time of up to one hour. For the past number of months, the public had been advised to allow up to two-and-a-half hours for short-haul flights and three-and-a-half hours for long-haul flights. However, the daa said that ongoing recruitment of new security staff and the deployment of prudent contingency measures over the summer months has meant it is confident to relax its passenger guidance at this time. According to Phillips, virtually all passengers were through security screening in 30 minutes or less in the first two weeks of August. Runway image via Dublin Airport