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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Emma Nevin

Dublin Airport: 'Chaotic scenes' at security cause passengers to miss flights

Many unhappy passengers missed their flights from Dublin Airport this morning due to queuing "chaos".

And the "disgraceful" delays have continued into the evening, with one passenger saying just two security lanes out of ten were open at 7:50pm.

Some people have said they queued over three hours for security while others said they were waiting over 90 minutes even with Fast Track.

Read more: Dublin Airport chaos as passengers stuck in 'worst queues seen yet'

One passenger told Dublin Live: "It was so awful. Got in queue at 7.10am, got through security at 9.00am. So many people missing flights. 8 lanes unopened in security."

Others took to Twitter to slam the "outrageous" delays.

One wrote: "Arrived at the airport at 4am this morning for a flight at 6:25am missed the flight because we couldn’t even get into the security queue until 6am had to book another flight, just getting home now”

Another said: “Absolutely chaotic scenes - It took us nearly 3 hours to get through security this morning. Felt so so sorry for all the parents with young children."

A third person said they "stood in line for security for longer than the duration of my actual flight today."

A fourth person called security "a shambles" and said there were "tourists saying they will never come back".

Passengers queuing at Dublin Airport this morning (Ken Sheehan)

This evening, Ryanair warned passengers to get to the airport early.

They said: "Long security delays at Dublin Airport due to DAA staff shortages.

"Any passengers due to travel today should arrive at Dublin Airport at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time.

"We apologise to our customers for these unfortunate delays entirely out of our control."

A spokesman for daa told Dublin Live that "queues for security are likely to be experienced at peak hours over the days and weeks ahead".

He said: "Unfortunately, some passengers are experiencing 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.

The recruitment, training and background security checks for all staff working at an international airport takes a number of weeks. This is happening against a backdrop of growing passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.

"This is having an impact on the length of time it is taking passengers to get through security, particularly at busy times. We apologise in advance but queues for security are likely to be experienced at peak hours over the days and weeks ahead as we continue to bring trained staff on board. In the meantime, we are doing all that we can to ensure that our security operations are operating at the maximum level possible at all times."

The spokesman said daa hope more new staff can begin working in the coming weeks.

"Over 100 new security staff have been recruited since the start of the year but there have been delays in bringing some of these people into the operation because of the requirement for enhanced background checks for aviation workers which came into effect since January 1.

"This log jam is now easing, and we hope that more new staff can begin working on the frontline in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers as we work to restore customer service levels to what were the norm in 2019.

"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.

"Anyone travelling through Dublin Airport in the coming days and weeks should be prepared for things to take longer than they might expect. To minimise the impact, we encourage all passengers to check in bags where they can and to carry the minimum amount with them when presenting at security.

"We would also encourage all passengers to be at the airport a minimum of 2 hours before boarding a short-haul flight and 3 hours prior to boarding a long-haul flight."

They said their customer service team is available to assist passengers impacted by the delays.

"We empathise completely with any passengers who have missed a flight this weekend as a result of the delays at airport security. Thankfully, many of those passengers have been able accomodated on later flights or have re-booked.

"Dublin Airport's customer service team is available to answer any questions that impacted passengers may have regarding their rights. They can be contacted on +353 1 9444717 or via email: customerexperience@dublinairport.com."

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