Busiest ever November at Cork & Dublin Airports

31m passengers through Dublin Airport in first 11 months of 2024.

Passenger cap remains a cloud on Irish aviation, economy & tourism.

European courts to bring clarity on slots and passenger cap.

Last month was the busiest ever November for Cork and Dublin Airports, according to new figures published today by operator daa.

Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport were 3% higher than the same month last year, with numbers at Cork Airport up 5%.

Overall, Cork and Dublin airports welcomed almost 2.5 million passengers through their terminals in November. Inbound tourism helped boost numbers, with Ireland’s autumn series of rugby matches attracting thousands of visitors from around the world.

At Dublin Airport, numbers could have been higher still but daa continues to take the necessary measures to dampen airline demand to comply with the 32 million terminals passenger cap.

However, based on forecasts for December – when demand to fly in and out of Dublin Airport is expected to once again be very high – daa continues to warn that passenger numbers through its terminals will exceed 32 million and will be over 33 million for the full year 2024.

Dublin Airport

Almost 2.3 million passengers* went through the terminal doors of Dublin Airport last month, making it the busiest November ever in Dublin Airport’s 84-year history. The busiest day of the month was Friday, November 1, when 100,000 passengers went through the airport’s two terminals. A total of 30.97 million passengers have passed through the doors of Dublin Airport so far in 2024, an increase of 5% on the same period in 2023.

While daa wants to continue to grow Dublin Airport in line with population growth and its mandate to ensure Ireland has global connectivity, it is obliged to do everything it can to dampen demand for travel due to the 32 million cap. This includes asking the High Court to review the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) allocation of slots for the winter 2024/25 season. The High Court hearing on this and the summer slots decision starts today. daa is encouraged by the High Court’s initial indication that decisions around the passenger cap and how it relates to slot allocations would best be considered by the European Court of Justice.

daa is also encouraged by the commitment given by the three main political parties in their pre-election manifestos to prioritise the lifting of the passenger cap. daa supports any actions that enable Dublin Airport to increase the international connectivity that supports Irish jobs, tourism and the economy. daa continues to progress its planning application to increase the passenger cap to 40 million. Last month daa submitted a comprehensive response to Fingal County Council’s request for additional information on 85 topics related to the Infrastructure Application.

daa also continues to work on a no-build ‘Operational Application’ which could increase the cap to 36 million without building any infrastructure, though this has been complicated by the instigation of a further consultation period prompted by the recent draft decision by An Bord Pleanála on night-time flights and hours of operation at Dublin Airport.

Cork Airport

Cork Airport enjoyed another stellar month in November as it welcomed 201,000 passengers– which was 5% more than November 2023 and Cork continues to be Ireland’s fastest growing airport in 2024.

Cork Airport is set to get even busier in the months ahead following the announcement of a string of new routes and additional services, including a brand-new summer 2025 service operated by TUI between Cork Airport and Dalaman in Turkey, and a beefed-up Air France schedule between Cork and Paris.

Additional flights between Cork and Bristol and Edinburgh have also been announced for the Six Nations rugby in the early part of 2025, picking up demand that Dublin Airport is not able to accommodate due to the passenger cap.

Commentary

Commenting on the November numbers, daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: “It was another strong month at both Dublin and Cork airports – which highlights the huge demand that’s there to fly to and from Ireland and I want to thank our teams at home for their outstanding contribution. But just as it was in October, growth at Dublin Airport was more subdued in November than it could have been as daa dampens demand and airlines continue to hold back on routes and additional services due to the cap.

“The importance of resolving the cap issue was highlighted by the main parties in the recent general election and we look forward to working with the new government on the issue. The High Court’s indication last week that decisions regarding the passenger cap and slot allocations should be referred to the European Court of Justice is also encouraging and underscores the complexities involved.

“In the meantime, daa continues to make every effort to uplift the cap through the planning process. Last month we submitted more than 7,000 pages of additional information requested by Fingal County Council to help its planning team decide on daa’s Infrastructure Application, which would see the passenger cap lifted to 40 million passengers a year along with critical infrastructure projects. We also continue to explore a no build planning application to raise the cap to 36 million without building.

“Ultimately, we will need to find a solution to the situation in which Ireland’s main gateway is artificially constrained, with all the negative knock-on effects for jobs, the economy, tourism and connectivity. daa welcomes all efforts that can achieve this outcome as quickly as possible.

“Our international businesses, ARI and daa International, are performing strongly too on both the duty-free and airport management side – thanks to the brilliant efforts of our teams – and we see very good opportunities to grow both these businesses in the coming years.”