Ryanair celebrates 12 millionth passenger milestone at Ireland West Airport

Ireland West Airport are delighted to announce that it has surpassed 12 million passengers through the airport with Ryanair since it began operations to/from the airport in 1986. Alison Lynch from London, who travelled on Ryanair’s London Stansted service on Wednesday afternoon to visit family in Galway and Roscommon, was the lucky 12 millionth Ryanair passenger and, to mark the occasion, was presented with a Ryanair flight voucher and a bottle of Champagne and chocolates.

It’s been 39 years since Ryanair’s first flight from Knock Airport departed for London Luton on December 16th, 1986. At the time, the west of Ireland gained its first direct link with London when the Ryanair 748 aircraft ‘The Spirit of Monsignor Horan’ landed in Knock Airport, heralding the start of scheduled services between the airport and London. Named after Monsignor James Horan, the visionary priest behind Knock Airport, the 44-seat turboprop aircraft was formally blessed by Monsignor Horan’s successor, Fr. Dominick Grealy.

Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Ryanair’s presence underpinned the airport’s development, helping passenger numbers pass 100,000 by 1988 and sustaining crucial UK connectivity. In the 2000s, their network broadened further, introducing the airport’s first scheduled services to Europe, with new routes to the likes of Barcelona, Faro, Alicante, Milan and Cologne, all of which continue to go from strength to strength — providing connectivity to major international markets from the West of Ireland.

In particular, over the last decade, the partnership has continued to grow. Ryanair marked its six millionth passenger at Ireland West in 2015, then celebrated 10 million in May 2023—all paving the way to today’s 12‑million‑passenger milestone. The airline now serves 17 destinations from the airport.

This Winter, Ryanair will operate 86 weekly flights across 10 routes to/from the airport, including winter sun hotspots like Lanzarote, Malaga, and Tenerife, as well as top city break destinations like Edinburgh, Liverpool, and London. Ryanair’s full Winter 2025 schedule is available to book now at Ryanair.com, with flights to/from Ireland West Airport available from as little as €29.99.

Marking the milestone, Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said: “We are delighted to mark 12 million Ryanair passengers through Ireland West Airport since Ryanair began operations to/from Knock in 1986. This significant milestone showcases Ryanair’s continued support and investment in the region, delivering critically important connectivity, traffic, tourism, jobs, and economic growth. This winter, Ryanair is operating a robust schedule to/from Ireland West Airport Knock with 86 weekly flights across 10 routes, including winter sun hotspots, like Lanzarote, Malaga, and Tenerife, as well as top city break destinations, like Edinburgh, Liverpool, and London.

Celebrating today’s milestone, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director, Ireland West Airport, said, “This is another significant milestone in the airport’s history, welcoming Ryanair’s 12 millionth passenger to the airport. It’s been a fantastic journey over the last 39 years with so many great highlights and milestones achieved along the way. During this time, Ryanair has continued to grow at the airport and provide critically important international access to and from the UK market, and connected the West of Ireland to major European cities such as Milan, Barcelona and Cologne, which have provided an enormous tourism and economic boost for the West and Northwest of Ireland. As we look ahead to next year and the 40th anniversary of the airport’s official opening, we look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with Ryanair and expanding our range of services over the coming years. We want to give a special mention to Ryanair’s customers, particularly the Ryanair staff here at the airport, who continue to play a vital role in helping the airport and Ryanair reach record passenger milestones such as this and in ensuring the airport experience remains both seamless and pleasant”