'We apologise in advance' - Dublin Airport says lengthy queues to be expected in coming weeks

Dublin Airport has said it is still trying to bounce back from the impact of the pandemic, amid some complaints about lengthy queues.

Some passengers have taken to social media in recent days to vent about long queues and lengthy waits at security.

A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said that staff were trying to “ramp up” the service provided to travellers but returning to full capacity after Covid-19 would take time.

“As the recruitment, training and background security checks for all staff working at an international airport take several weeks, not days, we apologise in advance but queues for security will be experienced at peak hours,” the spokesperson said.

“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 two hours before boarding a short haul flight and three hours prior to boarding a long-haul flight.”

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Airlines and the travel industry were badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought international travel largely to a halt when it first struck.

While the tourism industry has rebounded somewhat, visitor numbers in Ireland remain below pre-pandemic levels.

The spokesperson said that over 100 new security staff were recruited since the start of the year.

“There have been delays in bringing some of these people into the operation because of the requirement for enhanced background checks for aviation workers that came into effect since January 1.

“This logjam 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 2019 levels.”

The spokesperson continued: “Around 1,000 staff left Dublin Airport under a voluntary severance scheme because of the pandemic 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.”