A temporary marquee is to be erected on the roof of the short-term car park in Dublin Airport as the management prepare to deal with an expected 20 per cent rise in passenger numbers this summer.
Robert Hilliard, director of Dublin Airport, said marquees were used at other international airports and would be used in the event of "unforeseen events during the busy peak season". The marquees could act as waiting areas prior to checkin and could hold 1,200 people
More than carry 90,000 passengers a day will use the airport over the summer and to maximise the available space Mr Hillard said kiosks, ticket desks and banking outlets on the departures floor were being relocated to make room for eight new temporary boarding gates.
An additional 26 check-in desks are going to be provided in the basement of the airport.
The airport expects more than 15 million people to travel through the airport between April and October as airlines provide an extra 34 new routes and introduce aircraft capable of carrying higher numbers of passengers.
"It is prudent for Dublin Airport to factor in additional contingency plans to allow for unforeseen events occurring during the busy peak season," Mr Hilliard said.
He said with no extra terminal capacity available, "any major disruption to airline schedules is likely to lead to additional congestion within the terminal building", he said.
