Ireland’s Two Busiest Airports Welcomed 2.3 Million Passengers in February

A total of 2.3 million passengers passed through Ireland’s two busiest airports – Dublin Airport and Cork Airport – in February, according to operator daa.

The month saw 2.1 million passengers travel through Dublin Airport’s two terminals an increase of 5% versus February 2023, while 193,000 went through Cork Airport, a 23% increase versus the same month last year.

According to daa CEO Kenny Jacobs: “It’s been a really strong start to the year at both Dublin and Cork airports and we’re seeing no let-up in the demand to fly. That demand is being seen across the board, from business travel to family trips overseas. That’s no surprise given the buoyant economy, with more and more businesses and workers looking to locate in Ireland, and also the dreary weather here during the early months of the year, which has encouraged many to head off in search of some winter sun. The teams at both Dublin and Cork airports provided a really smooth experience for passengers in February with 99% of passengers through security screening in under 20 minutes at Dublin Airport and 100% through in under 20 minutes at Cork Airport.”

“The number of passengers through Dublin Airport in February was around 5% higher than the same month last year. Numbers through Dublin Airport could obviously be higher, but growth remains constrained due to the terminals cap of 32 million passengers per annum.”

“Every week, Dublin Airport is speaking with airlines who want to fly directly to Dublin. These are opportunities that daa, given our mandate to connect Ireland with the world, wants to take up – and we know our passengers want them too. But a planning cap of 32 million passengers per year on terminals 1 and 2 makes this a challenging situation. Ultimately raising the cap to 40 million, as daa has proposed in a recent planning application to Fingal County Council, would open the door to more routes and services, more tourists, more jobs, and more economic growth and we hope that process moves quickly. In the meantime, we are continuing to work proactively with the airlines and the Irish Aviation Authority as the slots regulator with a view to managing capacity.”

“The number of passengers through Cork Airport in February was 23% higher than the same month last year. This was the result of strong demand for both our European and UK destinations, and also due to the fact we had an extra day in the month due to it being a Leap Year. The first two months have been busy in Cork and all signs point to it being a record year for passenger numbers,” added Kenny Jacobs.

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