Ryanair calls for emergency meeting to address security delays at Dublin Airport

People queuing at Dublin Airport earlier this week. File Picture: Chaney/ Collins Photos

Ryanair has called on the Department of Transport to hold an emergency meeting of the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) over lengthy ongoing security delays at Dublin Airport.

Large queues have have been reported at the airport in recent weeks, with some passengers forced to wait for up to three to four hours to pass through security.

Speaking on Wednesday, the CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) Dalton Philips said the queues were the result of "significant pent up demand."

Mr Philips said the DAA was currently handling 15,000 at a time when "the labour market is incredibly tight" and when "recruiting is incredibly difficult. 

He also said Covid-19 was continuing to have an impact.

Mr Philips RTÉ Radio One that there were currently 600 officers in the DAA's security division, but close to 900 were needed to meet demand.

"Look, we apologise unreservedly. It is not what passengers should expect in Dublin Airport. And we are not happy with the situation."

Ryanair said an early meeting of the NATFC was now "urgently needed" to address the situation. 

The airline stated that delays seen over the past two weekends were likely to re-occur this weekend and over the Easter holidays.

“We are deeply disappointed the Department of Transport, who are responsible for Dublin Airport, have rejected the request from Irish airlines to hold an urgent NATFAC meeting," a spokesperson for the airline said. 

Transport minister Eamon Ryan. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

Ryanair and other Dublin Airport customers, cannot endure more weekends where thousands of customers suffer queue delays of 1 or 2 hours, causing many to miss their scheduled flights.

The airline urged the Department of Transport to "take responsibility for helping the DAA to solve this short-term staffing problem."

Ryanair said a number of other airlines shared its view. 

"Ryanair calls on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to take some responsibility for solving this crisis and immediately hold an emergency meeting of NATFAC so that emergency measures can be implemented," the spokesperson added."

"There is a major short-term problem with staffing at Dublin Airport, and it is the Minister for Transport’s responsibility to intervene at times of crisis such as this by calling an urgent meeting of NATFAC to agree solutions to what we hope will be these short-term but unacceptable security queues at Dublin Airport."

Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton, is to meet DAA officials this afternoon to discuss the delays.