DAA returns to planners with upgrade to agreed US pre-clearance area revamp

The operator of Dublin Airport, DAA, has lodged a fresh planning application to enhance its facilities for US-bound passengers at the airport’s US Customs Pre-Clearance and Border Protection facility.The move comes just 17 months after An Coimisiún Pleanála granted the DAA planning permission for an upgrade of the US pre-clearance facility to address passenger congestion. Instead of pressing ahead with the upgrade approved in May 2025, DAA is now seeking amendments to the scheme that first went before Fingal County Council in May 2023 - including an additional storey.A design statement lodged by engineering firm, IDOM, said the new application has been lodged after a number of constraints were identified in the 2025 design. These constraints were identified during ongoing engagement with operational stakeholders, updated passenger modelling and revised US Customs Border Protection/Transport Security Administration requirements, the airports group said. READ MOREThe report said operational inefficiencies and functional limitations within the approved design “could affect the long-term effectiveness and resilience of the facility”.IDOM said the revised proposal provides a more efficient, flexible and future-proofed solution while continuing to meet the overarching objectives of the Customs Border Protection (CBP) Expansion Project.The consultants said the proposed amendments “are not intended to facilitate additional passenger growth but rather to enable the CBP facility to function more effectively in serving existing passenger demand”.They will provide better facilities for enhanced passenger experience, additional queuing space, enhanced passenger “dwell areas”, easier way-finding, added flexibility to the configuration of the security area and more commercial areas.The IDOM report says the proposed changes “are proportionate, justified and consistent with the principles and objectives of the permitted development”.A spokesman for DAA said on Thursday that the new application submitted to Fingal County Council seeks an additional storey to the currently permitted Customs Border Protection facility, along with associated design refinements and operational improvements. “The proposed amendments will enhance passenger circulation, accessibility, operational efficiency and the overall passenger experience, while supporting updated operational requirements and future building performance standards.”