Dublin Airport Authority repeatedly requested not to be levied with fines by aviation regulator for lengthy security queues

The authority responsible for running Dublin Airport repeatedly asked not to be hit with fines because of lengthy queues at the airport saying that it could compromise security.

In correspondence with the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR), DAA said their emphasis had to remain on safety, rather than waiting times.

And they said any over-emphasis on queuing times risked the potential for non-compliance with stringent EU rules on security.

In letters to CAR, the DAA wrote: “Our focus in security is to ensure that something does not get on an aircraft that shouldn’t, complying fully with all European and Irish regulations.

“While we do not want any passengers delayed coming through the screening process, our focus cannot prioritise this over passenger security and safety.”

Dublin Airport’s managing director Vincent Harrison added: “The re-introduction of fines increases the risk of focus being leaned too heavily on queue times, resulting in potential non-compliance with regulations.”

The DAA appealed for a ‘force majeure’ saying that the impact of Covid-19 had been so severe that there were no further reasonable steps they could take to improve waiting times.

This thread from Ken Foxe explains some of the background to how these records were released.