TheCity

Tag: Dublin Airport

  • Green light for Airport Viewing Area 

    Green light for Airport Viewing Area 

    An Coimisiún Pleanála (APC) has given the Dublin Airport Authority the green light to build a new runway viewing platform on the Old Airport Road. 

    The plans for a dedicated viewing area will finally meet the demands of plane spotters across Ireland, who have been calling for such a facility for years. 

    The current viewing area, known as ‘The Mound’, is a simple dirt hill with a cleared space for people to park. This makes for a dangerous viewing area, as there is a ditch behind it with no protection. 

    Plane spotters risk falling into the ditch or slipping trying to climb ‘The Mound’ when the ground is wet. 

    The current airport viewing area, known as “The Mound”. (Image from Google Street View).

    Plane spotting has always been a popular activity, and ‘The Mound’ is regularly full of parked cars watching the comings and goings of Ireland’s busiest airport. 

    The plans include an elevated viewing platform with views of the south and crosswind runways.  

    The platform will feature solar powered lighting, and a sheltered viewing area with seating. 

    There will be picnic benches and the platform will be accessible to persons with reduced mobility (PRM). 

    There will be upgrades to the parking arrangements, with plans for 22 spaces.  

    Two of these will be dedicated to PRMs, while another two will be family-friendly parking. 

    There will also be spaces for people to park their bikes. 

    A dedicated airport viewing area is something that Dublin lacks compared to its European counterparts. 

    Across Europe, many airports have dedicated viewing areas, either within the terminal or alongside runways or taxiways, that have plenty of facilities to provide people with a safe space to enjoy the view.  

    A statement from the DAA described the project as a “gamechanger”, saying, “For decades, “The Mound” has been an informal gathering point for families and enthusiasts to watch aircraft arriving and departing Dublin Airport.” 

    Kenny Jacobs, CEO of DAA, said, “This is good news for local families and the many aviation fans who love watching aircraft at Dublin Airport.” 

    “The new, free‑to‑access viewing area will be safer, more comfortable and more accessible, with clear views of both runways,” Jacobs said. 

    “Once we’ve worked through the planning conditions, we’ll progress delivery, fully funded by daa, and keep the community updated on timelines so people can enjoy a proper plane‑spotting experience at ‘The Mound’ for years to come,” Jacobs added.

    The viewing area is sure to make a great addition to Dublin Airport, offering a welcoming, accessible, and family-friendly space for people to plane spot. 

  • Dublin Airport’s new runway to attract more tourists to our shores

    Dublin Airport’s new runway to attract more tourists to our shores

    By David O’Farrell

    The tourism sector of the Irish economy is set to receive a major boost  with the building of a new runway at Dublin Airport. In 2018, over 31 million people passed through Dublin Airport, travelling to over 180 destinations across the world. An Bord Pleanála passed the application for another runway at Dublin Airport in 2007, but due to the economic crash, plans had been put on hold until 2016.

    The new runway will be over 3,000 metres long, more than six times longer than O’Connell Street and will open potential new markets for tourism in long-haul destinations such as the Americas, Asia and Africa. Construction first began on the runway in December 2016 and is on course for its scheduled completion in 2021.

    The north runway is expected to deliver a 31% gain in connectivity between Dublin and the rest of the world, making it a crucial European airport. It will open opportunities for connecting tourists to spend some time in Dublin and the rest of Ireland. In the last five years, Dublin Airport has seen a 34% increase in total passenger numbers and a 59% increase in transatlantic seats, highlighting the need for another runway to cope with this ever-increasing demand.

    “The north runway is expected to deliver a 31% gain in connectivity between Dublin and the rest of the world”

    Tourism Ireland is the company responsible for marketing Ireland to potential tourists abroad and they see the building of the new runway as an opportunity to attract a more diverse audience to Ireland. Sinead Grace, Media and Public Relations Manager for Tourism Ireland said: “As the main gateway for tourists to Ireland, Dublin Airport has a critical role to play in the continued growth of tourism, particularly from long-haul and emerging markets.”

    “As an island destination, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated, they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism,” she continued. “As such, we work very closely with all airports on the island of Ireland, to drive inbound flights.”

    “As the main gateway for tourists to Ireland, Dublin Airport has a critical role to play in the continued growth of tourism”

    Sinead Grace: Media and Public Relations Manager for Tourism Ireland

    Tourism is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry and one of the main benefits of the new runway at Dublin Airport will be the fact that it will be able to handle every type of commercial aircraft due to its length, which currently is not possible as the existing runways aren’t long enough. This will be a big boost to opening up markets in foreign locations.

    Source: Wikimedia Commons

    Grace went on to talk about the importance of tourism in Ireland: “Tourism is responsible for in excess of 4% of GNP in the Republic of Ireland, and for employing about 325,000 people across the island.

    “In 2018, we welcomed almost 11.2 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland (+5% on 2017), delivering revenue of approximately €5.86 billion (+5%). We are very much focused on driving growth in overseas holidaymakers; and growth in revenue from overseas holidaymakers,” she added.

    “In 2018, we welcomed almost 11.2 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, delivering revenue of approximately €5.86 billion”

    Sinead Grace: Media and Public Relations Manager for Tourism Ireland

    The first pavement of concrete is currently being laid onto the runway and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said that this is a key milestone in the construction of the €320 million runway. Dalton Philips, Chief Executive of the DAA, said: “We’re delighted to be starting to build the top pavement concrete layer of Ireland’s new runway. North runway is an essential development for the Irish economy and will help underpin additional tourism, trade and foreign direct investment for years to come.”

  • Up to 5,000 seats added to DUB-LCY route

     

    LCY runway at dusk
    LCY runway. Credit: London City Airport

    From today (October 27), London City Airport (LCY) will receive up to 5,000 more seats a week from Dublin when British Airways and FlyBe join Cityjet on the Dublin to London route.

    British Airways commenced a five-a-day service from Dublin to London City Airport yesterday using a mix of Embraer 170 and 190 jets.

    Willie Walsh at launch of BA's DUB-LCY route
    Credit: Eoghan Corry/Travel Extra

    Willie Walsh (pictured), the Dublin-born chief executive of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, said: “[The DUB-LCY route] complements our existing London Heathrow service and the excellent schedule means customers will have plenty of choice whether flying for business or leisure.”

    The airline hopes to attract business travellers with an early morning departure from Dublin (07:00).

    Regional airline FlyBe’s new service launches today.  The airline is also targeting business travellers with four daily flights starting at 07:00 as well.

    Dublin’s US immigration pre-clearance facilities are an attractive feature for westbound travellers in Britain.  FlyBe recently signed an interline deal with Aer Lingus that allows travellers from Britain to connect on the Irish carrier’s transatlantic services using the same ticket.

    However, FlyBe chief executive Saad Hammad has suggested the airline will not immediately target this niche.

    Another Dublin native, Declan Collier, CEO of LCY, naturally welcomed the two new routes.

    “Our vision to position LCY as the airport of choice for both business and leisure passengers has received a huge boost as a result of this news,” he said.  “We believe that the increased capacity on the route is good news for passengers, offering more choice of when and how to travel.  And I can’t deny that I privately welcome the news as it greatly enhances my own options for flying back home to Ireland.”

    The route will now be serviced by 15 daily flights from three three airlines.

  • New travel routes announced at Dublin Airport

    New travel routes announced at Dublin Airport

    Sunset falling on Dublin Airport's Terminal 2. Photo: Philip Wall
    Sun rises on Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 and its new travel plans. Photo: Philip Wall/Twitter

    Passengers looking to get away from Ireland for a short holiday or weekend break this winter can now broaden their destination plans as Dublin Airport has announced 19 new routes.

    These new routes include potential short trips to Inverness (Scotland) and Cologne (Germany) as well as the continuation of long-haul flights to San Francisco (USA) and Toronto (Canada).

    Dublin Airport says that they will have an extra 950,000 seats available this upcoming winter, a 10% rise from the same time last year.

    Speaking about the new announcement, the airport’s Managing Director,Vincent Harrison said, “These new winter services, coupled with the additional frequency and capacity on many existing routes, significantly strengthens Dublin Airport’s route network, providing even more choice and flexibility for our customers.”

    The introduction of Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 in November 2010 and its sustained success has seen the transport hub become increasingly popular among tourists and those passing by on stop-over flights.

    Ireland's main airline Aer Lingus is continuing to grow on the international market. Photo: Flickr
    Ireland’s main airline Aer Lingus is continuing to grow on the international market. Photo: Eric Salard/Flickr

    Dublin Airport is ranked just outside the top 20 busiest airports in Europe. It handled nearly 20.2 million passengers in 2013 and that number is set to rise significantly come the end of 2014.

    The airport has a large presence on social media and their free WiFi service is in contrast to many other airports around the world where customers have to pay to access the internet. It has 89,400 Twitter followers, over 6,300 Instagram followers and over 60,500 likes on Facebook.

    The airport’s ability to generate business interest for Ireland was rewarded in September 2014 when they won an aviation marketing award at the World Routes Award ceremony in Chicago.

    With new routes planned to Reykjavik (Iceland), Helsinki (announced by Finnair) and a link from Los Angeles to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) for 2015, residents of Dublin and the wider commuter belt can start to plan some exciting escapes.