A Dublin Airport car park closed since 2020 will reopen in time for peak summer travel next year, its new managers confirmed on Wednesday.
An ongoing squeeze on parking space at the country’s biggest airport had angered travellers as travel resumed after Covid lockdowns.
Apcoa said on Wednesday it had taken over management of the former 42-acre Quickpark site on the Swords Road, which it will reopen on March 10th, a few weeks before summer air travel gets under way.
The car park has 6,100 spaces just 1.5km from the airport, adding to the 23,000 at the gateway itself.
Do something with your savings before rates fall further
What are my mortgage options when coming off a fixed rate on a loan that has just 18 months to run?
Do analysts share Mark Zuckerberg’s preference for ‘masculine energy’?
Donald Trump’s reprieve for TikTok might only prove to be a short-term solution for the Chinese app
Shuttle buses to the airport will serve the site on the Swords Road every 12 minutes. Neil Cunningham, managing director of Apcoa Ireland, said the company had lined up a subcontractor to run the service.
The former Quickpark site, owned by property developer Gerry Gannon, has been closed since 2020. Competition regulators blocked a bid to buy it by airport operator DAA earlier this year.
Various bidders vied for the site in 2023 amid a public row over the shortage of parking space.
Apcoa manages the facility, but Mr Cunningham did not say on whose behalf. Apcoa manages car parks in 13 European countries, including Berlin Brandenburg in Germany, all three that serve Milan in Italy, along with London Heathrow and Luton in England.
Reports at the weekend said Mr Gannon was planning to reopen it next year and had obtained financial backing for the venture.
The new operator has begun taking bookings on the website, www.park2travel.ie, so customers travelling after the opening date can start reserving spaces now.
“We use that brand on some other off-airport car parks in Europe as well,” Mr Cunningham noted.
His company is working on preparing the car park for use when it reopens next March. That will include landscaping and upgrading bus stops and other facilities.
“Our priority is to get it open,” Mr Cunningham said.
- Sign up for the Business Today newsletter and get the latest business news and commentary in your inbox every weekday morning
- Opt in to Business push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our Inside Business podcast is published weekly – Find the latest episode here
