Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Update on Issues in Aviation Sector: Engagement with Mr. Willie Walsh

Mr. Willie Walsh:

No, it clearly is not, but many of these issues were highlighted at the design stage of Dublin Airport. Airlines are not really interested in iconic terminal buildings. I understand what they were trying to do, but from an airline point of view we want it to be as efficient as possible and it is not the most efficient. The real issue is that part of the problem we face at airports is the poor use of technology. We know, for example, that technology exists, and it operates at some airports. At Bahrain airport, for example, you do not have to take anything out of your bag. You do not have to do all the unpacking, which from a customer point of view is very inconvenient, and clearly takes a lot of time. When you go through the new Bahrain International Airport and put your bag on the belt they have the most modern equipment and it is incredibly efficient. The system is being tested at a number of European airports. There is one at Geneva airport, for example. We can see that regular users know where the good machine is and aim for it because they do not have to unpack their bags. Technology like that should be used. It has been around for years. This stuff can tell the difference between a good bottle of Irish whiskey and a poor Scotch. We do not need to start unpacking everything.

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