Airport officials to be grilled by politicians after 'outline plan' fails to inspire confidence

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and junior minister Hildegarde Naughton to meet Daa for third day in a row about airport chaos

Green Party leader and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan arriving at Dublin Castle for Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

The Daa “cannot guarantee” that last Sunday’s chaos at Dublin Airport, which resulted in some 1,400 people missing flights, will be avoided this weekend.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the Daa told him at a meeting that it would do “everything in its power” to ensure long queues and people missing flights are avoided, but that no guarantee had been given. 

Mr Ryan and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton will meet with Daa officials for a third day in a row on Wednesday morning after airport chiefs could only provide a general “outline plan” of measures they intend to implement.

It is understood Daa officials could not provide the ministers with any detail on the number of extra staff they intend to hire or the number of extra security lanes to be opened at peak times.

The ministers have also asked the Daa to provide a full plan and to communicate this to the public so people travelling over the bank holiday weekend know how far in advance they have to arrive at the airport.

Mr Ryan said there had been discussions about “how to manage lanes” within Dublin Airport.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD said the chaos was due to Daa making staff redundant 'and then trying to replace them with people on absolutely rubbish, flexi, low-paid contracts'. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Daa officials are also due to come before the Oireachtas transport committee on Wednesday morning, where they will be grilled on what action is being taken to avoid the scenes witnessed at the airport in recent days.

Meanwhile, the Daa has been blamed for offering “absolutely rubbish” contracts to workers, which resulted in the chaos at Dublin Airport.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said security staff are not being given the respect they deserve as the contracts offered mean workers don’t know from week to week how many hours they will get.

“The absolute chaos and shambles of Dublin Airport is entirely the result of the Daa making redundant hundreds of employees during the pandemic and then trying to replace them with people on absolutely rubbish, flexi, low-paid contracts and that is at the heart of the chaos,” he said.

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy criticised Daa for engaging in a “race to the bottom” with regards to its recruitment policy and terms of employment.

“What’s been offered is to a lot of people not attractive,” she said.

Ms Murphy pointed out that the part-time contracts on offer mean it is very difficult to get a second job as workers could be asked to work nighttime or daytime shifts each week.

Catherine Murphy TD said Daa's recruitment policy was a 'race to the bottom' and that they made it difficult for staff to get a second job as they could be rostered for nighttime or daytime shifts each week. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

“There has been a race to the bottom here and I think the price has been paid,” she said. “I also think there was very generous wage subsidy scheme to keep critical employees in place and obviously there was a mindset here in terms of how the airport will be run into the future that has backfired badly.

Ms Murphy said a “sticking plaster approach” is not good enough and the authority must come up with proper solutions.

“The solution has to be in Dublin Airport, it has to be recruiting staff. It has to be a short-term measure for now, but it also has to have a more sustainable approach to recruitment.”