dublin airport terminal

Spending 2 – 3 hours in some dump like LHR or JFK is enough to put one off air travel.

Try spending 12 hours in LHR after a 13 hour flight from Japan. At least they have a Harrods in there (like I could afford anything in there anyway). There is something so depressing about airports, even though I love going to them… big planes ohhhh. But I would prefer the government building new terminals every 20 years for a few million rather then repair old derelict things from the 60’s for hundreds of millions.

Airports are the first impressions you get of a country – my favourites in addition to Munich are Schiphol, CDG, and Helsinki.

I agree alpha, what we need is an architecturally stunning terminal buliding which works.
Lets hope we get it – or will we get a ‘design and build’ heap of concrete at minimal cost.

A-ha

I think what you mean is that pre-Ryanair STN was empty, not “spacious”.

DAA announces plans for passenger terminal

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has announced plans to build a new 50,000sq metre passenger terminal building at Dublin Airport to the south of the existing terminal facility and to the rear of the existing Pier C.

The new terminal is the core component of a €1.2bn, ten-year Framework Development Programme, announced by the DAA today (September 20) to increase Dublin Airport’s operational capacity from current levels of over 18m passengers per year, to over 30m passengers per year.

The new terminal, which will become operational in late 2009, will have a capacity for up to 15m passengers per year. It will cost between €170m and €200m to build depending on detailed design specification. The terminal’s design will accommodate long-haul routes and facilitate the onward transfer of passengers and luggage.

The DAA also plans to deliver significant additional aircraft contact stands within the next two years by building Pier D, for which it has already secured planning permission. The new two-storey, 200 metre-long structure will become operational at the northern edge of the airfield by late 2007.

Other key elements of the Framework Development Programme include:

· Provision of over 40 new wide and narrow-bodied aircraft contact stands by 2011 by constructing a second new pier adjoining the new terminal, and the extension of the existing Pier B.

· Provision of extensive new airfield surfaces for taxiing and remote parking of aircraft.

· Optimisation of the existing terminal building by building a northward extension and other alleviating measures.

· Upgrading of the airport’s road network and the provision of new arrivals and departures kerbside and set-down space.

“The DAA Framework Development Programme represents a comprehensive and swift response to the Government’s decision of last May that the company should build a new passenger terminal and other infrastructure at Dublin Airport to cater for ongoing strong growth in aviation traffic and passenger numbers,” said Gary McGann, Chairman, DAA.

“I am confident that by working closely with the airlines and other stakeholders, the DAA can now deliver at Dublin Airport, the dynamic gateway that Ireland’s 21st century economy requires and the high standards of comfort, safety and efficiency that our passengers and the broad community of airport users have a right to expect. The time for talking about these facilities is over, it’s now time for action and delivery” he stated.

Following the Government’s decision, the DAA appointed the London-based airport development consultants, Pascall & Watson to engage in a detailed consultation process with the principal airlines and other key stakeholders at Dublin Airport to ascertain their requirements for new and expanded airport facilities.

The DAA’s criteria underpinning the consultation process required cost-effective solutions that were deliverable within the timeframe set by the Government and delivered significant enhancement of passenger service levels. The solutions
also needed to be compatible with existing airport development plans, stated airline needs, and adaptable to likely changes in the aviation industry such as Open Skies.

“Pascall & Watson’s recommendations have been approved by the Board of the DAA and are fully incorporated in the Framework Development Programme,” said Declan Collier, Chief Executive, DAA. “They have given us the blueprint to build the dynamic airport gateway this city and country require and proposed some short-term solutions to address the current pressure on passenger and aircraft capacity.

“As requested, they have recommended the optimum location and outline specification for the new terminal. They have advised as to the optimum scale and mix of aircraft contact stands we need to cater for up to 30m passengers per annum and the sequence in which this capacity needs to be built. And they have provided indicative costings for the overall development programme, for which the company now requires appropriate funding from the Commission for Aviation Regulation.

The DAA will soon award the contract to build Pier D and commence the tender process for the detailed design of the second passenger terminal. When these designs have been completed and costed in detail, they will be subject to independent verification as required by government, so as to provide additional assurance to all stakeholders that the DAA’s plans are cost effective.

“We will then move into the planning stage and a parallel public tender process for the construction phase of the development. All told, the pre-construction phase for the new terminal may take up to two years, followed by a subsequent two-year construction phase up to late 2009,” said Declan Collier.

“This is a very exciting and challenging project for the DAA and the company is determined to deliver facilities at Dublin Airport, which meet the business requirements of our customers and which represent appropriately the capital city airport of a progressive EU member state,” he added.

So what do we think…? Its not very detailed. I was hoping they would have some designs and stuff…but it seems like it could be good….I just hope the integration of it with the current terminal and piers doesn’t become its downfall. No mention of transport – apart from road improvements. So i guess, in typical Irish fashion, we’re all gonna be encouraged to continue driving there, coz we have no other real option….jeez.

I wonder will any of the parking places for the aeroplanes be designed to take the new airbus!? I bet you the answer is no so immediately after it is built they will realise – oops, we are not able to cater for airlines that might wish to use the airbus for long-haul flights. I hope they have done good market research.

PowerPoint from the Dublin Airport Authority Site with visuals of terminal plans going forward.

http://www.dublinairportauthority.com/AR_Corporate/pdf/PressFinal.pdf

Looks a bit of a mess to me, with piers and aircraft all over the place.

Seems they’re back from the pub, with their designs already…. 😮
I dunno…it seems all over the place…

I think those plans look dead boring. Why is it that we can’t build anything decent these days? People that built buildings all over the world including Ireland hundreds of years ago did way better than we do today. I am not impressed with that one bit at all.