GUNS AND BOMBS GET PAST DUBLIN AIRPORT SECURITY
Seven ‘prohibited devices’ undetected in failed EU audit
FIREARMS and improvised explosives passed undetected through Dublin Airport’s security screening during a major safety audit, the Irish Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Seven ‘prohibited’ devices – including guns, improvised explosive devices and components of explosive devices – managed to pass through scanners and security staff during the audit, which took place at the airport last month. There are now fears
that extra security measures may be imposed on the country’s main airport, which could cause further delays and disruption to passengers.
Although tests are regularly carried out by the Irish Aviation Authority at Dublin Airport, the April audit was overseen by the European Aviation Safety Authority. The breaches have raised serious alarm within the European aviation regulatory sector.
The MoS has learned the European authority contacted the Irish Aviation Authority and Dublin Airport Authority in recent days about making a return assessment to examine what has been done to ensure the breaches are not repeated. The European authority will issue a report on its findings then conduct a follow-up audit.
Security sources involved in the oversight process told the MoS that the country’s biggest airport could be hit with an Article 15 sanction if it fails the second audit. Under an Article 15, imposed by the EU, additional security measures would be imposed on aircraft leaving Dublin Airport and on planes arriving at European destinations from the capital.
Additional restrictions could result in further chaotic scenes at the airport, where passengers were recently advised to turn up threeand-a-half hours before their flight due to security staff shortages.
‘We are all deeply concerned about it’
A senior security source told the MoS: ‘The audit occurred in April and we are all deeply concerned about it. Seven breaches of security were recorded,’ the source confirmed, adding that the ‘prohibited’ items included ‘weapons and IEDs [improvised explosive devices also known as bombs] and components of IEDs’.
The weapons and bomb parts were put through the screening system in bags, but were somehow not detected and got through to airside.
The source added: ‘This audit failure is the latest in a string of incidents. Obviously, it’s the most serious and concerning, but nevertheless airside has to be sacrosanct. If these weapons can get through with the aid of officials they can be brought through by terrorists.’
A DAA spokesman told the MoS: ‘We do not comment on security matters, security audits or speculation around any changes to security processes for obvious reasons but DAA is fully committed to safeguarding civil aviation and protecting and securing all those who travel through and work at Dublin Airport.’
Long-serving staff at the airport said there is concern over hiring practices since air travel returned to full capacity after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in early March.
According to some sources, full checks have not been carried out on personnel and gardaí are investigating at least two incidents involving staff.
However, there is no suggestion that newly hired staff were to blame for the April audit. The reasons for the security lapse identified in the April audit will not be known until the European authority’s report is completed.
Sources asked the MoS not to reveal the exact date the audit was carried out to avoid blame being directed at specific rostered staff. A source revealed security staff were informed that an audit was taking place, ‘but they wouldn’t know the identity of the testers or the timing’. The source added: ‘The Irish Aviation Authority is charged with the task of overseeing Dublin Airport Authority as they’re the regulatory bodies now.
The IAA come in on a regular basis and test the standards you say you are working to. So this was a test by Europe to see if the IAA are doing their job to their standards.’
A security source who has been briefed on the audit said the European authority is now carrying out an assessment on the security breaches.
The source said: ‘We’re waiting to see the outcome of that. We will know those details very soon, but we still haven’t got the report back. They only came out again to adjudicate on what they said they weren’t happy with. There will be a full audit again in another two or three weeks.’
If the European authority is satisfied with the steps taken by the airport authorities, a further full audit will be carried out within a matter of weeks. The security source added: ‘You either pass this time or you don’t and you get an Article 15.’
Dublin Airport was previously hit with an Article 15 in 2012, when Tánaiste Leo Varadkar was transport minister. As a result, additional security measures were implemented at the airport in May 2012 following an audit, but these were lifted the following month.
Senior employees at the airport who spoke to the MoS said they have become increasingly concerned at the quality of staff members involved in administering security at the increasingly busy airport.
One senior staff member said: ‘There was a rush to hire staff to address the delays and failures at Dublin Airport security, and it’s natural that the full rigour of background checks on new staff was not imposed. We probably didn’t hold out for the best quality staff such was the panic to hire.’
The MoS has learned of several incidents of alleged assault and theft by newly hired security staff that are being investigated by gardaí and the DAA.
In one incident a member of staff hired to help usher crowds through the airport became involved in a fracas with a passenger who they knew and was involved in a dispute over a personal matter. It is alleged the staff member struck the passenger during the incident.
Some recently hired security personnel were placed under investigation after a laptop was allegedly stolen from a passenger’s carry-on bag. In another incident, a bottle of perfume was allegedly stolen from a shop in the airport.
DAA group head of communications Kevin Cullinane said Dublin Airport ‘is subject to regular and independent oversight of our compliance with international security requirements’.
He added: ‘DAA is fully engaged continuously to ensure that the appropriate safety and security standards are always in place.’
Mr Cullinane said recent security delays at Dublin Airport were: ‘Primarily due to resource constraints driven by staff shortages in a very challenging recruitment environment, lengthy onboarding of new staff due to new enhanced background checks and the impact of Covid-related absence at the start of a very busy summer schedule.’
In relation to staff training, Mr Cullinane said: ‘The shortage of security screening staff is the key contributory factor to the current difficulties. While there have been no constraints on recruitment – more than 100 new security staff have already been recruited to date this year.’
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan’s department said it could not comment on ‘security matters’ at Dublin Airport.
‘We didn’t hold out for the best-quality staff’