A passenger who travelled through Dublin Airport on Sunday has described one of its terminal buildings as being in a state of “squalor”.
John Duddy, a neurosurgeon who works in Liverpool, told Newstalk radio that conditions were unsafe and unhygienic in Terminal 1.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the airport on Sunday, with queues to enter terminal buildings stretching outside and causing more than 1,000 passengers to miss their flights.
State of the toilets downstairs in T1 near Gates 114-120. Floors and sinks clearly not cleaned all day. This is disgusting and unsanitary. I have never seen an airport this bad. Shame on you, management @DublinAirport. #DublinAirport pic.twitter.com/76Ua9MuMxF
— John Duddy (@DrJohnDuddy) May 29, 2022
Dr Duddy said the disorder extended beyond the queues, describing the cleanliness standard at the airport as a "total and utter failure of management in all areas."
“The experience once you get into the Departures' area is absolutely awful – squalor is the word I would use to describe the terminal building yesterday,” he said.
“The toilets clearly had not been cleaned for a number of hours, possibly all day. The sinks were covered in dirt, there was litter everywhere, overflowing bins, spillages that had not been cleaned up.
“I’ve never seen anything like it travelling through any airport, never mind Dublin Airport, over the last few months.”
Airport operator the daa has been contacted for comment.
Overflowing bins, litter everywhere, dirty floors. This isn't just about queues, this is total and utter failure of management in all areas. #DublinAirport pic.twitter.com/ecrmArXdT6
— John Duddy (@DrJohnDuddy) May 29, 2022
It comes as Ryanair has once again called for the army to be brought into the airport to tackle long queues for security.
Ryanair chief executive Eddie Wilson told Newstalk that the airport authority had not adequately prepared for the return of aviation following the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Michael O’Leary was on recently talking about the army, and it was pooh-poohed,” he said.
“We need the army there, the army are already security, they’ve already got security clearance, and [we need] to have additional bodies on the ground, either for queueing or for pat down at security points.”
The daa apologised this morning for the lengthy queues seen at the weekend, saying it had “let the nation down”, and assuring future passengers that the chaotic scenes were a “blip”.
