Airport immigration delays 'damaging tourism'

Business and tourism is being damaged by processing delays at immigration checks in Dublin Airport, Chambers Ireland said today.

Chambers Ireland spokesman Seán Murphy said today he had written to Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy about the delays involving the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) .

“We are continually hearing of significant delays occurring at immigration control which have lasted up to 1.15 hours on occasion,” he said.

“We note that the passport control area at Dublin Airport was recently rebuilt at a cost of approximately €7 million following consultation with the GNIB.”

Mr Murphy asked why Irish and UK passport-holders were not being segregated at immigration control and why so many GNIB booths are left unoccupied so often. He also asked if most Irish passport-holders should not simply be waved through immigration control.

“Airport immigration delays materially affect Irish competitiveness. If this problem continues, opportunistic weekend travel by consumers availing of short-haul special offers may well be curtailed and Ireland’s hotel, restaurant and other tourism sectors will be adversely affected,” he added.