Dublin Airport queues 'stabilising considerably' as full security staff to be in place by June 

People queuing at Dublin Airport last month. The airport says it is "on track" to have security staff at full capacity by June, alleviating the problem. Picture: PA

Dublin Airport says it is "on track" to have security staff at full capacity by June, with queues now "stabilising considerably" from the significant blockage that saw passengers wait for hours in March and April.

Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that just over one million passengers departed from Ireland on various overseas routes in March, up 34% month-on-month.

It was the first month since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that either overseas arrivals or departures exceeded one million, the CSO said.

By comparison, just 66,500 departed during March 2021 when Ireland was in the throes of restrictions, and 602,000 in March 2020, the month that the pandemic took hold.

Of the one million passengers who left Ireland last month, just over 96% travelled by air, the CSO said.

Under pressure

Dublin Airport was put under huge pressure by the influx of passengers last month, with many security staff who left during the Covid-19 pandemic still to be replaced as airport departure numbers mushroomed.

It led to angry passengers posting pictures on social media of lengthy queues in Ireland's main airport, with long lines forming outside terminals in the early hours of the morning, and wait times of three or more hours to get through security line bottlenecks.

Dublin Airport's operator, daa (formerly known as the Dublin Airport Authority), said recruitment for new security staff has seen "huge interest".

The roles have been criticised by TDs, the Labour party and unions over perceived low pay and unattractive terms and conditions, such as not enough hours being guaranteed for work.

However, a daa spokesperson said there has been "huge interest over the past month" from potential recruits.

"With a robust interviewing process, we have identified more than 300 candidates to take forward. While some of these will inevitably drop out due to being offered roles elsewhere or other circumstances, we currently have more than 130 candidates who have either commenced working in the airport or who have a confirmed start date. 

"Our recruitment process continues at pace and we remain on track to have the full required complement of around 900 security staff in place in June," he said.

The time it is taking to get through security at Dublin Airport has stabilised considerably during April, daa said.

Arrival advice

The spokesperson added: "Our advice to anyone flying out of Dublin Airport over the coming days and weeks is to arrive up to two and a half hours before a short-haul flight and up to three and a half hours before a long-haul trip. Passengers flying on short-haul flights taking off after 8.30am are advised not to arrive at the airport any earlier than 6am."

This will alleviate pressure on the passenger security screening area, he said.

"There is no need for passengers to arrive earlier than two and half hours for a short-haul flight."

When it comes to arrivals into Ireland, there were 1,100,700 overseas passengers in March, according to the CSO.

Continental Europe accounted for most passenger traffic, with more than 50% of both arrivals and departures. Cross-channel route was next busiest, with around 39% of both, while travelling across the Atlantic saw only around 8%.