Airport growth creating jobs

A RECORD-BREAKING year in 2015 is creating 350 jobs at Dublin Airport in areas such as security, customer service and asset management it was revealed last week.

A staggering 25 million passengers passed through the airport last year thanks to 22 new routes, and extra capacity on almost 40 existing services.

The growth in passenger numbers is expected to continue this year as 11 new scheduled services have already been announced, including new transatlantic services to Hartford Connecticut, Los Angeles, Newark, and Vancouver.

There are also new long-haul charter flights to holiday hotspots in Cancun, Mexico and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, said the new jobs and increased passenger numbers would have a positive economic impact.

“Connectivity is vital for our island economy and the impact of these additional passengers and new routes at Dublin Airport will be felt right across the country,” he said.

“I look forward to continued growth in passenger numbers and employment at Dublin Airport in the years ahead.

Chief Executive of daa, Kevin Toland, described last year’s passenger growth as good news for the economy, tourism and job creation and confirmed that 350 additional staff are needed to cope with the growth.

“We recruited about 170 new people last year and a further new 180 staff will be hired during 2016,” he said. “These additional staff are mainly in customer-facing areas.”

Dublin Airport says it will continue to invest in upgrading facilities. Ten new aircraft parking stands will be completed before the summer and an extension to the Terminal 2 multi-storey car park has been added to meet increased customer demand.

The daa is also evaluating plans for the development of a new runway, which it says will be an essential enabler for the Irish economy for many decades to come.

A second parallel runway has been on Dublin Airport’s agenda since the 1970s and while planning permission was granted in 2007 the project was put on hold due to the economic downturn.

Meanwhile, Dublin Chamber of Commerce believes the increase in passenger numbers at Dublin Airport during 2015 is proof that the strategy of attracting new routes and increasing transfer traffic is working.

“Dublin Airport is a vital piece of national infrastructure, with four out of every five overseas visitors who arrive to Ireland by air coming through it,” said Dublin Chamber Chief Executive, Gina Quin.

“A well-connected Dublin Airport is fundamental to a buoyant tourism sector and also to Ireland being seen as a location for investment and jobs.”

“The challenge now is to ensure that Dublin Airport is equipped for further growth in the coming years.”