Dublin Airport has a brand new runway! Sláinte!
It opened on August 24, 2022, only 15 years after its original planning permission was approved. It’s actually the airport’s third runway because everyone seems to oddly forget about 16/34 (which is a none too shabby 2072m with an ILS and RNP approach, so perfectly useable!)
Anyway, 10L/28R has opened and is ready for use. There are a load of new charts effective from August 19 for you to check out if heading in.
What’s it got?
It’s got:
- 10,200’ (3109m) x 45m of tarmac.
- A CATII/III ILS onto 10L (but no published approach to 28R).
- The ILS is very standard. 3000’ platform altitude and 3° glideslope.
- There are restricted areas to the south so the missed approach is to the north. Keep an eye on this if there are any storms passing through.
- A new apron area (5H) which is still under construction, so watch out if you’re taxying around the end of 10L (threefold of 28R). The second phase starts from September 8 so check the chart validity carefully.
You can find the Irish AIP here if you need it.
Anything else to know about the airport?
- They favour the 28s, and you can expect these in use until the tailwind reaches 10 knots.
- Read the airport briefing because there are a bunch of taxiways you mustn’t stop on when vacating certain runways, because they won’t actually get you clear of the runway.
- They have NABT for certain categories of aircraft.
- Sometimes they talk fast and give you a thousand taxi clearances in one go so be ready to copy the clearance down!
- The aprons get congested. Probably because some clever person built loads of nice little cul-de-sacs for the airplanes to park in, not remembering airplanes can’t do three point turns to get out again.
Other than that it is a nice, easy airport to operate into.
And also…
EIDW/Dublin does have a pre-clearance service for the US, but it’s only available to scheduled airline traffic. If you want to get this service for your private/charter flight, you’ll have to go to EINN/Shannon instead.
Here’s some more info on all that US pre-clearance stuff.
A little bit of history.
If you want the boring historical facts then go and look at Wikipedia. This is some of the lessor known stuff.
Dublin actually means Black Pool, but locals (well, folk who speak Irish) know it as Baile Átha Cliath.
Collinstown Aerodrome (as Dublin airport was originally known) was the spot where the most successful raid against the British took place, in 1919, during the war of Independence. 25 or so raiders broke in, poisoned the guard dogs (well, actually they did that in the afternoon and just timed it well), then silently captured any human sentries and managed to nab a whole load of ammunitions and weapons before escaping. They also amusingly left the Brits unable to give chase because they’d sledgehammered all their cars in the garage.
Nowadays, Dublin Airport seems to be a place where people leave stuff, rather than raid stuff from it. It has a history of random items abandoned there by passengers including an urn of ashes, a 42” television, some large paintings, 7 grandmothers (on separate occasions) and a toilet. One of those is not true. I’ll let you guess which.
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Wonderfully informative! I love the postcard like view of Dublin airport from yesteryear, even including a classic Bristol Frightener in the lower left foreground!