AIR HE GOES
Under-fire airport chief blamed for massive queues takes up new role
THE beleaguered Dublin Airport Authority chief is to leave his role after the summer, it has emerged.
Dalton Philips was blamed for massive queues in terminals recently.
Following calls for him to be hauled in front of the Oireachtas Committee to answer questions in public over the disruption, Mr Philips wrote a letter apologising for the queues.
He said that there have been 15,000 extra passengers passing through the airport every day, which is 30% more than estimated.
Lengthy delays emerged at Dublin Airport since early March which led to security staff claiming some angry passengers had assaulted them.
At one point, the DAA was advising people to turn up three-and-a-half hours before a flight, or four if you are parking – a significant increase in time from the usual two hours.
The DAA says that the issue has stabilised with the majority of passengers clearing security in under 45 minutes.
Mr Philips also came underfire for the contentious plans to install a tolling system for a new paid drop-off and pick-up zone, which may come into place later this year.
Mr Philips, who has been DAA Chief Executive for almost five years running Dublin and Cork airports, has accepted the position of CEO of the Greencore Group.
He said: “I am incredibly grateful to the broader leadership team and staff of DAA who have put their shoulder to the wheel throughout Covid, and especially over recent months, in bridging the gap between spiralling demand for air travel and the restoration of our full operational capacity, expected next month.”
Under his reign, the DAA achieved its highest ever traffic of 36 million passengers and profit of €300million in 2019.
A new runway at Dublin Airport is also set to come into operation.
Basil Geoghegan, DAA Chairman, said: “DAA had achieved significant growth under Dalton’s tenure, resulting in record passenger numbers and a strong financial performance before the onset of the recent global pandemic.”