Madam, - In response to PD Doyle's letter (June 17th), executives at the Dublin Airport Authority, which manages Dublin airport and plans for its future development, are aware of the recently opened Terminal 4 at Madrid Barajas Airport and of the other major infrastructural projects taking place at many of Europe's larger airports.
The new terminal in Madrid is part of a €6.2 billion upgrade of that airport's facilities, the preparation for which effectively started in 1991. The initial planning study envisaged that Madrid airport would handle 40 million passengers by 2010.
Like Dublin airport, Barajas has grown faster than had been expected and last year, it welcomed 42 million people.
The Barajas master-plan now envisages 70 million passengers per year using the airport.
Work on Madrid's T4 started in July 2000, while construction of the related new runways started as far back as 1996.
The Government mandated the Dublin Airport Authority to build a new terminal in May 2005 and work is now well advanced on the design of Terminal 2.
The new terminal, which will be completed in 2009, is part of a €1.2 billion plan to effectively double the size of Dublin airport over the next 10 years.
Meanwhile construction workers are already onsite for Pier D, which is scheduled to deliver an additional 14 boarding gates/stands in the autumn of next year.
This year, more than 20 million people will use Dublin airport. We have not been in a position to begin this journey as early as our colleagues in Madrid, but the timeline for delivery at Dublin airport, is if anything more challenging than that of our Spanish counterparts. - Yours, etc,
PAUL O'KANE, Communications Manager, Airport Development Programme, Dublin Airport Authority.