Dublin Airport Terminal 2 was opened in 2010 by the then Taoiseach of Ireland, Brian Cowen. Heralded as a new era for Irish aviation and a required, and long overdue upgrade on the existing facilities at the airport, Terminal 2 was not without its critics. Chief of the critics was Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair who saw the need for a new, low cost terminal.
Terminal 2 is stacked with a range of fantastic facilities aimed at making the journey of passengers as easy as possible. The terminal boasts a modern design making fantastic use of both light and empty space to create a relaxed and spacious atmosphere. While the building is clad in steel, the architects have introduced colour throughout the building which lift the overall character of the terminal.
In terms of statistics, Dublin Airport has 75000 square meters of floor space, 19 air bridges and is capable of handling 15 million passengers annually. There are 55 check-in desks located on the ground floor, 51 lifts and 34 escalators. In total, the airport took over 95000 cubic meters of concrete to construct.
Departing from Terminal 2 is extremely passenger friendly. The main entrances to Terminal 2 are located on the ground floor, where the airline desks are located. From any of the entrances doors, passengers will be able to see the entire layout of the check in desks, and be able to quickly spot their airline. If you have parked in the short term car park, the entrance to the airport occurs where escalators will bring you directly to the departures hall.
One of the very useful features at Dublin Airport is the US Emigration Pre-Clearance area. This essentially means that people departing from Dublin Airport to the United States will pre-clear emigration in Ireland, and therefore avoid lengthy queues upon arrival.
Arrivals at Terminal 2 happen on the second floor. Once you exit customs, the airport is setup so that continuing straight will bring you to the car rental Dublin airport, the taxi rank, the car park and public transport. It is important to realise that if you are landing at the airport after 2300, the local bus service will have finished, and there will be a high demand for taxi services.
The Dublin Airport Authority who operate the airport was the first company in the world to offer Duty Free shopping at airports. As such, The Loop shopping area in Terminal 2 offers a huge range of shops that are marketed at being the cheapest shops in Ireland. A full range of perfume, make-up, electrical and Irish goods are available.