The installation of new security scanners will lighten the burden of checking on travellers passing through Dublin Airport but not the floors of old Terminal 1 building.
Workers installing state-of-the-art new security scanners at Dublin Airport have had to reinforce some of the old Terminal 1 floors in order to take their weight.
Management at the airport has said five new scanners will be in place by the end of May across its two terminals before works pause in order to keep passenger queues moving during peak holiday season.
The C3 technology will replace traditional baggage x-ray machines with 3D scans that will provide security staff instant imaging of contents, theoretically speeding up queue times.
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It will also mean passengers will no longer have to remove liquids or other items such as laptops, although management have stressed that normal rules still apply ahead of the summer peak.
“It can tell you exactly what’s in the bag, not that we can’t do that at the moment but it’s a different way of doing it,” a spokesman explained.
Targets of installing about 30 scanners will mean some reconfiguration works are likely and have necessitated some minor reinforcing of the floor in the old terminal, which is just over 50 years old.
With the summer peak now bedding in – passenger numbers are currently surpassing 90,000 a day – the programme will be paused for three months before resuming in September. Terminal 2 should be completed by the end of the first quarter next year, while detailed planning is ongoing for Terminal 1.
A spokesman would not comment on the level of financial investment, or on the cost of installation works.
Although some passengers are already being directed through the new scanners, a spokesman urged those intending on travelling to plan as normal for rules around luggage contents and restrictions which remain in place.
A similar €2.5 million security investment at Shannon Airport in 2021 was hailed as having the potential to cut passenger screening times in half.
