Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I do not want to lecture Members and it is unnecessary to do so. The stark reality is that Dublin Airport is crowded with business as more people wish to fly into and out of the country. It is inevitable there will be a strain on accommodation but there are several measures than can be taken to reduce that strain. It is obvious that Members who made reference to Third World airports have not been to any such facilities. I have seen them on my travels around the world in my 30 years in the Oireachtas, in various Ministries and as a member of several committees.

There has undoubtedly been a change in the security position in Dublin Airport and a clear slowing down of passenger traffic and throughput. For instance, a passenger travelling from Heathrow Airport to Dublin Airport with a connection to Shannon Airport, a journey I undertake regularly, could heretofore transfer within the high-security area from one gate to the next. Now, however, one must exit through the baggage hall, pass through the least secure part of the airport and re-enter as if one is a new passenger by undergoing all the security checks once again. In other international airports, as in Dublin Airport in the past, passengers making connecting flights do not have to endure multiple security checks. The sensible approach is to transfer such passengers directly to the gateway from which they will board their onward connecting flight. This speeds up the process because passengers can check in their baggage as far as their final destination at the beginning of their journey.

The system in Dublin Airport is archaic and was perhaps introduced at a time when there was not much business. The situation has changed, however, and I appeal to the airport security authorities to terminate the daft procedure by which passengers who are taking a connecting flight are obliged to leave and re-enter the departure area through the least secure section of the building. This is an unwarranted, time-consuming and frustrating process for both passengers and staff.