I HAD my first tour of the new Terminal 2 at Dublin airport this week. It’s an impressive building and a big step up on the facilities in the existing terminal.
And so it should be, given it came with a €600 million-plus price tag. First up, you don’t want to get on the wrong side of the US customs and border protection (CBP) staff.
The facility includes a detention cell for anyone who falls foul of the immigration process and needs to be incarcerated.
T2 has a modern, airy feel. It’s been fitted out with 56 check-in desks, of which Aer Lingus will use half with American Airlines and Etihad using the remainder.
The Dublin Airport Authority is also in talks with Air India, which is considering using the terminal as a hub for its passengers flying to the US.
The US customs facility (which means that travellers arriving into the US will be classed as domestic passengers and won’t have to join the lengthy immigration queues) makes Dublin an attractive option for the Indian carrier.
But Birmingham and Madrid are also under consideration to replace Frankfurt as Air India’s hub in Europe. A decision is expected by the end of August.
The first test flights – most likely by Aer Lingus – will take place in early November with the terminal opened up in stages thereafter. Does T2 justify the cost?
It doesn’t look or feel like a gold-plated terminal, a charge that Ryanair has levelled against T2 on more than one occasion.
It has the feel of a modern airport – brighter, cleaner, more energy-efficient and better designed for ease of movement than its decades-old neighbour next door.
The timing of T2’s opening is awful. We’re in the middle of the worst recession anyone can remember and visitor numbers to Ireland are substantially down.
And when it opens, all passengers at Dublin airport will have to pay a few extra quid per journey in charges to help the airport authority pay for T2.
That’s not ideal in the current climate and Michael O’Leary isn’t happy that his passengers are being charged, even though they won’t use the building.
T2 carries some baggage and only time will tell if the price was worth paying.
