Passport control delays hurting business, Garda chief told

Business chiefs have written to Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy complaining that delays at passport control in Dublin Airport are damaging recession-hit business and tourism.

Chambers Ireland claimed hour-long waits at immigration had caused crowd control problems and left hundreds of passengers seething since an apparent ’go-slow’ started around Christmas.

Airport Police have been called in on several occasions over irate passengers.

“If this problem continues, opportunistic weekend travel by consumers availing of short-haul special offers may well be curtailed and Ireland’s hotel, restaurant and other tourism sectors will be adversely affected,” Mr Murphy said.

Business lobby group Ibec has already written to the Commissioner to complain.

Delays at passport control began more than six weeks ago during the Christmas break in a dispute involving officers from the Garda National Immigration Bureau stationed at the airport.

It centres around allowance cuts which would see gardaí stripped of daily expenses worth around €5,000 a year.

In a letter to the Commissioner, Chambers Ireland spokesman Sean Murphy said immigration delays will worsen Irish competitiveness.

“We are continually hearing of significant delays occurring at immigration control which have lasted up to an hour and 15 minutes on occasion,” Mr Murphy said.

Chambers also questioned why Irish and UK passport holders are not being segregated and fast-tracked to keep a common travel area between the two countries and why Garda immigration is lying empty.