Defence Forces on standby to aid Dublin Airport security in case of Covid outbreak

Soldiers deployed to aid security checks at Dublin Airport will screen vehicles entering the airfield, but will not deal directly with passengers in its two terminals, according to State company DAA.

Concerns that Dublin Airport security officers remain at risk of a Covid outbreak prompted DAA to ask the Government to allow it use up to 100 Defence Forces personnel as a short-term backup should this be needed.

The company said on Tuesday that should it call in the Army soldiers will screen vehicles entering Dublin Airport, freeing up DAA staff who normally do this for redeployment to its terminals’ security lanes.

Kevin Cullinane, DAA’s head of communications, confirmed that the airports group would cover the cost, including any compensation due to the soldiers themselves. “The terms of that need to be worked out with the Department of Defence,” he said.

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He said the DAA’s own security staff would continue to deal with the travelling public even if it calls in the Army. He explained that 100 DAA security staff work on screening vehicles including fuel, cargo and other supply trucks that regularly enter and leave the airport, and it is these staff who would be freed up for security screening of passengers if the Defence Forces were drafted in.

“Every vehicle that comes on to the perimeter of the airport has to be screened. Defence Force personnel will be trained to man our vehicle-control posts,” he said. The soldiers will be unarmed.

Mr Cullinane said the plan was strictly a contingency in case of a Covid outbreak among security staff, and said the airport did not necessarily expect to call in the Defence Forces.

Simon Coveney, Minister for Defence, agreed to the plan when his transport colleagues Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton approached him. Government confirmed the move on Tuesday.

Soldiers will begin training immediately to be ready should they be needed, but the Government says the contingency will only remain in place until peak holiday travel ends in August.

DAA regards Covid as a potential risk to operations – one in four security staff contracted it during the Omicron wave early this year. An outbreak among Aer Lingus workers has forced the airline to cancel flights in recent days.

However, the news angered some in the Defence Forces. “It’s another kick in the teeth. We’re already stretched to breaking point” said one officer. “It’s always the way; send in the Army when you don’t want anyone else to pay for the job. Coveney said this wouldn’t happened, but here were are.”

The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) said it feared “that this is another example of the Defence Forces being used as emergency cover to compensate for management decisions in other State bodies”.

It said the announcement contradicted previous statements by Mr Coveney and Taoiseach Micheál Martin who “categorically ruled out the deployment of the Army, and confirmed that it was a human resources issue for DAA to solve”.

RACO general secretary Conor King sought clarity on the roles that members would fill and what compensation they would receive.

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Mr Coveney said he agreed to Mr Ryan’s request after receiving assurances “that this is a distinct piece of work, provided in extreme circumstances, as a short-term emergency-related contingency action”.

The Minister said the deployment “is clearly defined in terms of the role and timeline”, and would last for six weeks from July 6th to August 15th.

He added that he consulted with Chief-of-Staff, Lieut Gen Seán Clancy, on the request.

DAA expects to have recruited 480 security staff between last October and the end of July, when it will have reached its full complement of 920.

Bottlenecks have forced airports including London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol to cancel flights in recent days. Delays caused by an unexpected shortage of security staff caused 1,000 people to miss flights from Dublin at the end of May, sparking fierce criticism of DAA.

Mr Ryan confirmed that the proposed arrangement with the Army was only temporary.