There will be no repeat of last year’s summer of chaos, the new CEO of Dublin Airport has promised. 

In 2022, international travel restrictions were relaxing and millions of people across the world booked holidays. 

Many airports were surprised by the sudden surge in demand for travel and found themselves short-staffed. 

On several occasions, people found themselves queuing for hours to go through security at Dublin Airport and thousands missed their flights. 

Queues outside Dublin Airport on Sunday May 29th 2022. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

“The main thing we’ve done [since last year] is we will have 800 security staff this summer,” DAA CEO Kenny Jacobs told Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam. 

“That’s what we have now in place and if you take the important role of people actually looking at what’s in your bag, there’s twice the number of people doing that this summer. 

“We’ve made big changes to the operating standards at the airport; it will be busy and there’ll be certain mornings when the Irish exodus is happening to sunny Spain and sunny Italy. 

“But there won’t be a repeat of the scenes of last summer.” 

Noise pollution

Following the opening of the airport’s new runway last year, a number of residents in North County Dublin have complained about the noise. 

Some have said they are unable to sleep at night and one described it as “basically like a war zone over your house”.

It is a problem Mr Jacobs said the DAA is trying to ameliorate. 

“We actively engage with the community in North County Dublin on noise and all matters,” he said. 

“We’ve insulated a number of houses and I expect we’ll insulate some more houses - a small number of houses - in the coming year because we take the matter very, very seriously.” 

In 2022, 28.1 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport.

Main image: Queues at Dublin Airport. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie