Ryanair calls for army to be introduced to deal with Dublin Airport delays

ireland
Ryanair Calls For Army To Be Introduced To Deal With Dublin Airport Delays
The airport has been facing major delays amid staff shortages.
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Ryanair has called for members of the army to be introduced to tackle long delays at Dublin Airport.

It comes as passengers at the airport are being advised to arrive at least three and a half hours before their flight.

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Queue times at Dublin airport on Friday morning were between 30 minutes and 40 minutes.

The airport has been facing major delays amid staff shortages.

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is meeting with representatives from airlines and the Department of Transport on Friday to discuss the issue.

Speaking to Newstalk, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said the scenes at the airport last weekend were chaotic and cannot be allowed to continue.

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Mr O'Leary called for 200 members of the army to be drafted in while security staff are hired and trained over the next six to eight weeks.

'Unwelcome interactions'

Meanwhile, Siptu's aviation sector organiser Niall Philips cautioned the public that there will continue to be delays at the airport and that there is no short-term solution to the issue.

Mr Philips told RTÉ radio’s News at One that the union agreed measures with management to try to alleviate the situation.

Some security staff had been diverted from Cork airport to Dublin airport, he said, and check-in time had been extended from two hours in advance to four hours to facilitate passengers turning up early to ensure they make their flight. There were also extra airport police on duty.

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Mr Philips said his members had experienced “a marked increase” in “unwelcome interactions” with the public as people became frustrated with the delays.

The combination of fewer staff and increased security measures had combined to put extra pressure on security staff on duty, he explained.

While the Dublin Airport Authority had recruited an extra 100 staff recently, only 15 to 20 of those were fully trained.

“There will be delays, there is no short term solution to fix this,” he said.

-Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke

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