£233M contract for airfield underpass at Dublin Airport awarded

New Civil Engineer
Thomas Johnson
04 November 2025

Dublin Airport operator daa has awarded a €265M (£233M) contract to a joint venture between Sacyr Ireland and Wills Bros to build a subterranean vehicle underpass beneath one of the airport’s principal operational areas.

The West Apron Vehicle Underpass, the first work order under a five‑year Airfield and Landside Civil Works framework, will create a 1.1km twin‑cell tunnel linking Pier 3 to the West Apron. Construction, using cut‑and‑cover techniques, is scheduled for completion by August 2030 and will pass under the Cross Runway (16/34) and four taxiways.

Airport planners say the tunnel will deliver a segregated route for airside service vehicles, including fuel bowsers, cargo trucks, tugs, loaders and catering trucks, between the West Apron, where much cargo and contingency activity is concentrated, and the Eastern Campus, which houses most services and facilities. The twin‑cell design is intended to maintain resilience by allowing one lane to remain operational if the other is closed for maintenance or an incident.

£233M contract for airfield underpass at Dublin Airport awarded | New Civil Engineer | 04 Nov 2025