Dublin Airport ready to connect the world with the World Cup during June

Up to 10,000 football fans expected to pass through Dublin Airport en route to North America this summer.

Qatar national team departs for World Cup via Dublin Airport.

While Ireland may not be taking to the pitch at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America, Dublin Airport will still have a key role to play in the tournament, connecting thousands of football supporters from across the UK and Europe with the biggest sporting event on the planet.

Dublin Airport is expecting up to 10,000 football fans to pass through its terminals during the tournament as they travel onwards to host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico to support their national teams.

Dublin ranks among Europe’s top five airports for direct connectivity to North America.

Supporters travelling through Dublin Airport will be able to connect onwards to many of the cities hosting World Cup matches, including New York/New Jersey, Boston, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.

Dublin Airport spokesperson Graeme McQueen said: “Ireland may not be competing at this summer’s World Cup, but Dublin Airport will still be helping fans get to the action. We are expecting thousands of football supporters from across the UK and continental Europe to connect through Dublin Airport on their way to support their teams, utilising the 200+ weekly flights to more than 20 cities in North America that Dublin Airport has to offer this summer, as well as our US Preclearance facilities, which enable passengers to complete US immigration and customs checks before departure, making arrival in the United States faster and more convenient.

“We’re already starting to see fans heading stateside and the flow of passengers is set to pick up pace this week ahead of the tournament kicking off on June 11. In particular, we’re expecting to see lots of Scottish and English fans heading to the US, as well as fans from the likes of the Netherlands, Spain and France. Last Saturday morning also saw Dublin Airport facilitate the departure of the Qatar national squad, who set off for Los Angeles aboard a special Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER aircraft adorned with a unique FIFA livery,” added McQueen.

The large numbers heading to North America will help make this the busiest summer in Dublin Airport’s history, with more than 11 million passengers set to travel through the airport between June and the end of August.

Dublin Airport’s summer schedule will be further boosted in the days ahead as Qatar Airways increases its weekly schedule between Dublin and Doha from June 16 to 17 flights per week, up from 14 currently.