Members of the armed forces must begin training so that they can replace security personnel at Dublin Airport in the event of a Covid-19 wave.
The risk of a case among its staff has led the DAA to request the government to put in place contingency planning that would allow for the armed forces’ short-term deployment to assist operations at Dublin airport should the need arise The Ministry of Transport said in a statement.
The government has backed a request from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and State Secretary Hildegarde Naughton to train members of the armed forces so that they can assist the daa with aviation security duties at Dublin Airport.
The DAA has said its current operational plan, which has been in effect since early June, is “working effectively” and that people are “safely making their way through the airport and making their flights”.
However, given the impact a resurgence of Covid-19 could have on staff and operations, the DAA suggested creating an emergency to facilitate the possible deployment of the armed forces at the airport.
In response to the emergency request, Ministers Ryan and Naughton have asked the government to take the necessary steps, including appropriate training and certification of the armed forces, to facilitate their potential deployment – should this ultimately become necessary during the peak summer period.
Minister Ryan said it is only an “emergency measure” and the deployment of the armed forces may not be necessary.
“I expect the DAA to hold out during the summer period with passengers following the relevant advice to make their flights and the majority of passengers passing through security in less than 45 minutes,” he said.
“As this is an emergency measure, the armed forces will only be deployed, at the request of the daa, and in a scenario where passenger waiting times deteriorate significantly with the risk of large numbers of passengers missing their flights.”
Defense Secretary Simon Coveney said:
“I have agreed to this request with the clear assurance that this is a separate piece of work, delivered in extreme circumstances, as a short-term emergency response and is in direct response to a letter from DAA management to the Minister of Transportation .
“The request is clearly defined in terms of its role and timetable, lasting no more than six weeks, in non-public duties. In recent days I have been consulting with the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy about this request. .
“Members of our armed forces will undergo an immediate period of training and will be ready to assist if needed. However, this support will be stopped in August when the busy holiday period is over.
“The DAA has assured that they will continue their own recruitment and onboarding of additional security personnel and the introduction of other measures during this time,” he added.
Meanwhile, despite ongoing recruitment at Dublin Airport, Minister Naughton said “it would be remiss on the part of the government not to provide an extra layer of protection for people to travel safely through Dublin Airport in the coming weeks”.
“The government’s decision to allow the deployment of the armed forces in extreme circumstances is unprecedented, and I hope it’s a decision we don’t have to use. I will continue to work with Daa’s Chief Executive, Dalton Philips, its senior executive team and the chairman of the board, throughout the rest of the summer to ensure the traveling public can take their vacations, family reunions and business appointments,” she added.
The Ministry of Transport confirmed that the emergency measure will be in place until August, after which the daa has advised that they will have recruited, trained and deployed optimal levels of security personnel.
This week, DAA spokesman Graham McQueen said everything went “reasonably smooth” at the airport this weekend, the busiest weekend since before the pandemic.
Mr McQueen said recruitment is continuing and the authority is “on track” to hire 900 additional security personnel by the end of June. He said on RTÉ radio that a further 100 security personnel will be recruited in July to meet the growing demand.