Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 7598 |
| Work Detail | Rows and debates over development at the airport are only just beginning, writes Fearghal O'Connor The war of words between DAA (formerly the Dublin Airport Authority) and pilots union IALPA over planned developments at Terminal 2 is likely just a sign of things to come. The DAA is currently proposing to build a passenger transfer facility at the terminal, but IALPA has said that aspects of the plan do not “adequately protect staff and passenger safety”, according to a report by Barry J Whyte in last week’s Sunday Business Post. For its part the DAA says that the safety and security of passengers and staff is Dublin Airport’s key priority at all times. "We completely reject IALPA’s false claims in relation to this development,” a spokesman said. But it’s likely to be just the first of many bigger rows and debates over planning and development at Dublin Airport in the decade to come. Huge investment will be needed to keep pace with the inevitable problems of success at the airport. New data last month showed that it posted 13.4 per cent passenger growth in the first six months of 2016, making it the fastest growing airport in Europe. At a time when some of the old certainties about Ireland as a destination for foreign direct investment are under attack, this ever-increasing success of Dublin as an aviation hub of European importance is a crucial positive for the entire economy. IAG has signalled its ambitions for transatlantic growth at Dublin. Ryanair on the other hand is once again choosing to flex its muscles and cutting back capacity because of the ending of some incentive schemes. That perhaps is a warning shot from the airline about what its attitude to the likely cost of development at the airport in the years to come will be and who it believes will – or will not – foot the bill. Plans to build a new parallel runway will provide the first opportunity for this renewed debate to really play out. Both IAG and Ryanair are prepared to go along with the €320 million plan but only as long as it doesn’t increase passenger charges. The growth that the new runway could provide for in terms of capacity cannot be taken for granted. It would allow Dublin huge opportunity for growth but passengers will only choose to transfer through Dublin if it continues to be an airport fit for that purpose as distinct from the mess it had become in the past. Ten years ago, due to horrendous forward planning, the airport authority was forced to contemplate putting temporary marquees on the roof of a carpark to check in passengers that could not fit in the hopelessly overburdened terminal. Much has changed in the interim. DAA has done an excellent job of bringing the airport into a new era. Terminal 2 is a very fine facility. Of course, it would want to be given that €600 million was spent developing it. Its position so close to Terminal 1 has definite advantages. But as the airport grows in the coming years, that positioning in such a confined location in an effective cul de sac at the eastern end of the airport will also become a disadvantage when it comes to expansion. Inevitably, planners will at some point need to look to the west of the airport to provide the terminals and road networks of the future. And just as the economic benefits of a successful international airport spread far and wide, so too should the responsibilities for its sustainable development. Take public transport. Bus services to and from the city have greatly improved but it is unusual for an airport that serves 25 million plus passengers per annum to rely completely on buses for its mass transit options. This week saw the announcement that trains would run through the Victorian era Phoenix Park tunnel by the end of the year … maybe. There will be much fanfare and copious press releases when the first services do run but only a limited number of commuters will ever see much benefit. Meanwhile, along the Northern Commuter line, close to the half-built estates at the city’s northern fringes, passengers on the regularly-packed services can gaze across the open fields to the booming airport campus just a few miles to the west. Providing a brand new rail link across these fields was an option once upon a time. But it would have had to somehow navigate an impossible planning system, a political system that lacks real ambition, bolshie trade unions and a public that is apathetic and often hostile when it comes to major infrastructure development. So for now, the trains are sticking to their Victorian tunnel and the airport remains in splendid isolation. In the future, as Dublin Airport continues to expand, we will have to do better or pay a very big price indeed. |
| Country | Ireland , Northern Europe |
| Industry | Airports & Aviation |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://www.businesspost.ie/comment-dublin-airport-remains-in-splendid-isolation/ |
