Airports fail to get pre-clearance gains

TRANSPORT Minister Leo Varadkar has admitted the hype that accompanied the introduction of pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports has not delivered additional business.

Pre-clearance for passengers travelling to the US was introduced in Shannon in 2009 and Dublin last year.

At the opening of the facilities at Shannon in August 2009, then airport director Martin Moroney said: “This is an historic day and, in three years’ time, this will be a very busy airport based on pre-clearance.

“I don’t want to give numbers, but our aim is to give substantial growth in commercial and corporate jet business.”

The DAA has invested €21 million in the facilities at Shannon. However, Mr Varadkar said: “We should not over-estimate the benefits of pre-clearance. Much of the hype that accompanied the introduction of pre-clearance facilities for passengers has not materialised into additional business.”

In response to a Dáil question from Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley, Mr Varadkar said: “We need to pursue the matter but we should also be realistic about the economic benefits.”

By using the pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon, passengers arrive at any US airports as “domestic passengers” without requiring further checks.

Mr Varadkar confirmed to Mr Dooley he has held talks with the US Ambassador Dan Rooney in recent weeks on extending pre-clearance to include cargo.

Mr Dooley criticised Mr’s Varadkar’s comments on pre-clearance as “short-sighted”.