arethosemyfeet

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has hit back at criticisms over plans to name Dublin Airport’s second terminal after former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Construction of the €395m Terminal 2 is well underway and the new terminal is due to open in Autumn 2009. Terminal 2 will transform the passenger experience for travellers using Dublin Airport and raise capacity at the airport to a potential 35 million passengers per year.
“The Charles J Haughey Terminal or Terminal 2 will provide an elegant and contemporary gateway for 21st century Ireland,” said DAA chairman Gary McGann. “Charles Haughey dedicated much of his life’s work striving towards such a future. The DAA feels that nobody is more deserving then him.”
An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is reported to be quietly supportive of the proposal.

According to DAA chief executive Declan Collier, “CJH T2 will be a bright, modern building designed specifically to meet travellers’ needs. It will feature large airy spaces in areas such as check-in, baggage reclaim, security and the departures lounge. The 75,000 square metre terminal will have dedicated facilities to meet the needs of business travellers, many of whom will have no problem whatsoever with the proposed naming. It’s just typical really of the ingrained nature of Irish begrudgery in this of all weeks of the year, when we should be proud of all our past achievements as a nation”.

Aer Lingus is expected to be the primary user of T2 and the new terminal will also be home to other transatlantic and intercontinental carriers. The new 24,000 square metre Pier E facility, which is perpendicular to T2, will have gates for up to 19 short-haul aircraft or up to eight long-haul aircraft.