The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has defended Terminal 2 against criticism after it emerged that as few as 10 flights are using it on a daily basis.

The €609m terminal was opened in November, following a massive advertising campaign costing in the region of €500,000.

A spokeswoman for the DAA said flight operations have been "ramped up significantly" in Terminal 2 since the opening. "Etihad Airways are in there, Delta Airlines has moved in just this week," she said.

She added that US customs would be providing a full pre-clearance service before the end of the month and that advanced trials of the system are currently taking place. She also said Aer Lingus had increased its operations with some European and all London flights operating from the terminal.

However, Fine Gael spokesman for transport Simon Coveney said he was seeking reassurances from the DAA about take-up at the new terminal due to the low level of flight departures.

Flight operations for last Thursday showed nine Aer Lingus departures for London and one Etihad departure for Abu Dhabi. Fifteen flights were scheduled to leave yesterday compared to more than 150 from Terminal 1.

"When you see T1 overcrowded at Christmas while the massive T2 lies empty, people tend to start asking questions. Everybody understands that when you open a terminal like that, it will take time to move operations over there. But there are concerns that there is not enough information about when things will start picking up. I am looking to see some assurances from the DAA along with a timetable for what flights will soon be operating from the terminal and when."

Retailers are suffering from the small numbers of passengers passing through each day. A House of Ireland spokeswoman said, "We are in a fortunate position that we have a unit in Terminal One also, so we are not in the same position as some of the brand new outlets in T2. Most of the retailers are there for the long haul though, so we will have to have patience and stop talking ourselves down."