Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

National Aviation Policy: Dublin Airport Authority

Mr. Kenny Jacobs:

I think it will settle down compared with previous years because we were in the pandemic and then had the issues in the airport and across aviation last summer. It is getting from 645 to 800. Every week, we look at whether we recruited enough people. The bit that is in the middle is whether we get people from recruitment to actually working in security quickly enough. Last summer, we did not have enough instructors. They are the people who train someone to become a member of the security team. We will have 12 instructors, which is a small number, but it really gets us from recruitment to people actually doing the job. We have added a new role, which is that of supervisor. These are very experienced security people who would have worked the lanes and are now supervisors. I was at the airport last Saturday and met this team. That is a really important role. In the peak of summer or on Good Friday, they are the people who will really keep the show on the road and make sure we move people from this lane to that lane to make sure everything is going well so I am very confident that we are focusing on the right things, we have the right pace and energy and we are looking at the key things. The training piece is broadly done. It is now down to recruiting in a tough market. Everyone in aviation is struggling to find staff. We must make sure we are doing everything we can. Pay is not a barrier. Of course, we will go faster and ensure we are recruiting faster and reducing the attrition rate.

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