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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Michelle Cullen

How long should I arrive before my flight? New times issued as Dublin Airport chaos continues

Passengers at Dublin Airport have been experiencing significant delays due to staff shortages.

Massive crowds have been gathering within the airport as they queue in line for security checks.

It is unknown how long the delays will remain in place as the DAA struggles to train new staff in time to alleviate the problem.

READ MORE: RTE Claire Byrne viewers horrified by just how bad Dublin Airport situation is

As a short term solution, both Ryanair and Aer Lingus have advised any of their passengers travelling out of Dublin Airport to arrive 3.5 hours before their scheduled departure time.

Aer Lingues and Ryanair planes grounded at Dublin Airport during Level 5 Covid-19 lockdown. (gettyimages.ie)

In a statement, Ryanair said: "Due to DAA staff shortages at Dublin Airport, passengers should arrive at least 3.5 hours before their scheduled departure time.

"Check-in Desks, Kiosks and Baggage Drop will be open 3.5 hours before departure.

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

Aer Lingus has also taken measures to ensure their passengers make it to the departure gate on time.

Passengers will now be able to check-in their bags the night before their flight to save them from joining the long queues the day of their departure.

In a statement on Twitter, Aer Lingus said: "Night-before check-in now here to save you time in the morning!

"Flying from Dublin between 05:30 and 08:00?

"From today you can check in and drop off your bags at the airport between 16:00 and 19:45 the evening before you fly

"Don't forget to bring passports!"

The daa apologised to passengers for the delays.

It said: "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 after 1,000 workers left the airport under a voluntary severance scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic."

Since January, over 100 new security staff have been recruited. However, the daa said the recruitment, training and background security checks required for all staff working at international airports have delayed the rehiring process and could take up to a number of weeks.

It said: "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."

READ MORE: Heading out of Dublin Airport in the coming weeks? Tourists given official warning that there could be problems

READ MORE: Are more Covid lockdowns and restrictions coming for Ireland and the world? Everything we know as experts worry

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