Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government's failure to plan for the recovery of Ireland's tourism sector has come home to roost in a fairly catastrophic fashion. Families are missing out on holidays because of long delays in issuing passports, hotels are charging between €350 and €400 for one night and now the State's main airport is experiencing chaos. Dublin Airport on Sunday was a nightmare for those caught up in the mayhem. People waited hours in queues that stretched outside the terminal buildings. Passengers received no communication, updates or explanations for the delays. Indeed, many had not even made it to the security check before their flights took off without them. More than 1,000 people missed their flights. Big money had to be forked out for hotel rooms, connecting flights were missed and would-be holidaymakers had their holidays ruined. Now, confusion surrounding what any compensation package will cover is sowing further frustration. This is not only about tourism and holidays. As a small island nation, we rely heavily on our airports to ensure our connectivity with the rest of the world. We simply cannot afford this chaos. Last week's events at the airport risk damaging Ireland's international reputation for international business and investment.

All of this has its roots in the laying off 1,000 workers by the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, during the pandemic and the subsequent lack of workforce planning as international travel reopened. At the time of those lay-offs, SIPTU's Jerry Brennan told the airport authority, "you will need to be hiring people because your queues will be extending through the carparks". What foresight. It seems he was the only person with any foresight. Yet, as we speak, Dublin Airport is still only at 70% of pre-Covid staffing levels. How can we expect the country’s main airport to operate at such low staff levels at the busiest time of the year? It was entirely foreseeable, after two years of lockdowns, that people would be very eager to get away on holidays again. Sunday’s chaos did not come out of the blue. There were warnings in the major delays in March and April. What action, if any, did the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, take then to get ahead of all this? Did he meet the airport authority back in March to work out solutions and prevent an escalation of the problem? He is now calling for solutions in the wake of chaos. He has shown up again a day late and a dollar short.

Teip thubaisteach ar thaobh an Rialtais agus an DAA a bhí sa phraiseach iomlán ag Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath ar an Domhnach. Ní hamháin gur chuir sé isteach go mór ar thaistealaithe ach rinne sé dochar do cháil idirnáisiúnta na hÉireann. An bhfuil muid ag súil le níos mó den chineál ruaille buaille sin in Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath an deireadh seachtaine seo?

Of course the Dublin Airport Authority should be held responsible for its part in this mess but let us be very clear on this. When the operation of the most important airport in the State breaks down, it is the business of the Government to get ahead of that. The public is in disbelief at this fiasco and those planning to travel through Dublin Airport this bank holiday weekend are now very worried. Can the Minister guarantee today that we are not facing more chaos at Dublin Airport this weekend?

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