Dublin Airport: Irish army to be put on standby to provide assistance
- Published
The Irish government has agreed for the army to be trained and put on standby to assist at Dublin Airport in the case of further disruption.
The request was made by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, writing on behalf of Dublin Airport operator, daa.
The daa is concerned about possible further staff shortages in the event of a Covid-19 surge.
Defence Forces personnel will receive basic security screening training.
The Department of Transport said the airport's current operational plans put in place since the start of June were "working effectively and people are making their way through the airport safely and making their flights".
"However, given the heightened risk environment and the impact that a resurgence of Covid-19 could have on its staff and operations, DAA proposed that it would be prudent at this juncture for initial, preparatory steps to be made to facilitate the potential deployment of the Defence Forces to the airport," the department said.
The forces deployed will be trained for "non-public facing duties".
'Extreme circumstances'
Defence Minister Simon Coveney said that while he recognised that the role of the Defence Forces was not normally to assist at a commercial airport, he agreed to the request "as a short-term emergency related contingency action".
The temporary measure is expected to last until August, with daa anticipating to have increased its workforce by then.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary had previously called on the government to provide military assistance.
In response, daa suggested that this would not be a viable option.
There were queues outside both terminals in May
In May, queues at Dublin Airport resulted in about 1,400 passengers missing flights, scenes that Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin called "unacceptable".
Mr Martin had also previously ruled out deployment of the army, saying that it was a human resources issue for the daa to resolve on its own.
The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) released a statement on social media saying it was "concerned" by the government's decision.
Raco described the move as "another example of the Defence Forces being used as emergency cover to compensate for management decisions in other state bodies".
The organisation has called for clarity on the types of roles personnel will be expected to perform, as well as questioning their working conditions and compensation.