Passengers using the long-term car- park at Dublin airport this summer will be offered valet parking in the latest attempt to free up space at the congested facility.
From the middle of this month, passengers using the car-park will be invited to give their keys to a staff member of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) who will park their car for them.
The DAA believes that by parking cars bumper to bumper, it could allow up to 1,500 additional vehicles to use the long-term car- park. When holidaymakers return from their break, they ask staff to retrieve their car. Parking charges will remain the same at €8 a day, the authority said yesterday.
The service will be optional and any cars damaged would be covered by the authority's insurance policy, it said. The service will only apply to the long-term car-park south of the airport. A spokesman said the park had ample space most of the year, but there was significant pressure during peak season.
The DAA has 13,900 long-term car-parking spaces and 3,800 short-term spaces. Earlier this year, it increased the daily charge for short-term parking from €20 to €30 and for long-term from €7.50 to €8.
The DAA will also lodge a planning application in the autumn for 6,000 new spaces in the Harristown area close to the airport. The airport's long-term car-parks are almost at capacity.
In a 10-year capital expenditure plan released yesterday, the authority claims the car-parks were barely able to accommodate peak demand last July and August.
The report suggests that 2005 is likely to prove highly challenging even with the extra capacity provided by a private facility on the Swords Road operated by Aircoach founder John O'Sullivan.
Meanwhile, aviation regulator Bill Prasifka has warned that airport charges may have to rise by more than 38 per cent in the next five years if the DAA is to fund a new terminal and other capital projects. The current ceiling on airport charges at Dublin is €5.09, but the regulator indicated this may need to rise to €7.05 per passenger.