DUBLIN AIRPORT has apologised for the extreme delays that passengers experienced at security over the weekend, which caused many passengers to miss their flights.
Reports on social media showed meandering queues at terminal one, with many expressing their annoyance at the situation.
#DublinAirport Despite waiting for hours, we could not catch our plane. I condemn the Dublin airport officials who made us experience this disgrace. pic.twitter.com/TpqV6QtuYC
— Ertan Sahin (@sahiner1) March 27, 2022
Similar queues and delays were also reported at terminal two.
#daa #DublinAirport state of T2 now, massive queues, total chaos, what an embarrassment of an airport pic.twitter.com/QJmOvmM1uR
— Roberto Sastre (@rob_sastre) March 27, 2022
In a statement, the airport said the delays experienced by people were a result of a reduction in staff due to a severance package that was offered to employees during the pandemic.
Staff at the airport were also on hand to give bottled water to those waiting several hours to get through.
A spokesperson said:
"Unfortunately, some passengers experienced long delays at Dublin Airport this weekend. We apologise to passengers impacted. Like other airports all over Europe, we are currently working extremely hard to ramp up our operation at Dublin Airport after the collapse of international travel over the past two years, including the hiring and training of staff."
"Because of the Covid pandemic, around 1,000 staff left Dublin Airport under a voluntary severance scheme and while there is an ongoing recruitment drive to replace frontline staff in areas such as security and retail, all companies who operate at airports across Europe are experiencing similar challenges as we approach the start of the busy summer season ahead."
Airport staff are advising people to check in as much of their luggage as possible so as to minimise the time spent at security.
"We would also encourage all passengers to be at the airport a minimum of two hours before boarding a short-haul flight and three hours prior to boarding a long-haul flight," the airport added.
