Dublin airport is struggling to recruit security staff to deal with the surge in passenger numbers. The chief executive of Dublin airport operator Daa apologised unreservedly to passengers on RTÉ radio on Wednesday, but said the growth in travellers was higher than they had expected.
Dalton Philips, chief executive of the Daa said: "There is just very significant pent-up demand and much higher than we or other industry analysts had expected. We always thought it was going to return strongly, but you are talking about 30 percent higher than our forecasted numbers.
"To put that in context 15,000 extra passengers per day. And so we are grappling to deal with this very high demand at a time when the labour market is incredibly tight.
"Look we apologise unreservedly. It is not what passengers should expect in Dublin Airport. And we are not happy with the situation."
He said the Daa have 600 officers in its security division but need to get close to 900 at a time when recruiting is incredibly difficult.
"Our security teams are paid €14.14 (an hour)," he said. "That is the entry level. That is 35 per cent higher than the national minimum wage. And obviously it is a pensionable job with a security of employment and it has additional benefits. There are many other softer benefits available.
"We are recruiting aggressively. We need to recruit nearly 300 people. It is a very difficult market and this is a very skilled job. We have exacting standards which we can’t compromise in any shape, form or manner. We have always been a very strong employer over the years."
There has been growing outcry from passengers forced to wait hours to get through security checks, with Ryanair advising its passengers to arrive at least three and a half hours early for flights out of Dublin airport.
Some passengers said they had missed flights due to the long queues. DAA said anyone travelling from Dublin Airport in the coming days and weeks should expect long delays. It said it empathises with passengers who ended up missing flights because of the delays.
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