Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport
National Aviation Policy: Ryanair
Mr. Michael O'Leary:
There absolutely is and the Deputy should remember that Dublin Airport was not the only airport this summer where the terminal experience was terrible. It was terrible in Heathrow, Schiphol and everywhere. The airports fundamentally did not line up recruitment sufficiently. There were difficult areas where low-cost employment is difficult. Most airports around Europe made a mess of recruitment this year. Security and cleaning in the terminals was awful. I worry more about other things. Dublin Airport is more profitable now than it was five years ago. It did build pier D where we are, but we have filled pier D. We say that we want to continue to grow at Dublin Airport but you need another pier D or extend the existing pier D. Do not build a new terminal or go off and do something silly but just extend that. It should replicate exactly what it did before. We know what it cost before. It was €120 million, so this one should cost about €160 or €180 million. It should do that and then we are all agreed. That will be a better experience because there will be more gates for passengers and more seating areas for passengers and a little more retail and restaurants for passengers, which they are short of at moment, without having to walk another mile to get because you are just extending what is already there.
No comments