Construction has begun on Terminal Two, the new €395 million new passenger terminal at Dublin Airport.
T2, which is set to open in April 2010, will be able to handle up to 15 million passengers per year.
The new terminal, which will be located close to the roundabout on the existing approach road to the existing termial, will cope with as many as 19 aircraft at any one time.
The new terminal will be able to handle up to 15 million passengers per year
Planning approval for T2 and a second runway was granted by An Bord Pleanála in August subject to stringent conditions.
The total cost of the T2 project, which also includes a new boarding gate area Pier E, a new energy centre, and a major upgrade of the airport's campus road network is €609 million.
Construction work on the new terminal is due to be completed in late 2009 and T2 will open to the public in April 2010.
"This is an historic day for Dublin Airport," said Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) chief executive Declan Collier.
"We have worked very hard with our construction partners to ensure that the delivery of T2 will have as limit impact as possible on the travelling public," Mr Collier added.
This morning, construction workers started to erect fencing around the entire T2 site.
Site investigation and preparatory works will also begin immediately. At peak, up to 2,000 construction workers will be employed on the overall T2 project.
Ryanair recently lodged papers in the High Court challenging the decision to give the go-ahead for the second terminal.
The airline said it was seeking a judicial review of An Bord Pleanála's decision and the decision by the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) to allow the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to increase passengers' charges to help pay for the multi-million euro project.
Ryanair claims the new terminal will lead to a doubling in passenger charges.
