In August, Dublin and Cork airports saw a combined total of 3.8 million passengers, continuing the record-breaking demand for international travel that has characterized the summer of 2024. Dublin Airport experienced its busiest month ever, while Cork Airport recorded a 10% increase in passengers compared to the previous year.
Dublin Airport achieves milestone with over 3.46 million passengers
Dublin Airport handled 3.46 million passengers in August, making it the busiest month in its 84-year history. The airport reached new highs during the week of August 12, with 829,000 passengers recorded, and on Sunday, August 18, with a record 124,600 passengers passing through its two terminals in a single day.
From May to August, over 10 million passengers traveled through Dublin Airport, bringing the total number for the year to 22.7 million by the end of August. According to daa, the operator of both airports, this marks a 5.5% increase in passenger traffic compared to 2023, a trend expected to continue into September.
However, daa anticipates a decline in passenger numbers starting in late autumn, largely due to the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) winter slot decision, which will reduce available seats for flights to and from Dublin from November to March. Airlines have also reduced some operations due to concerns over Dublin’s passenger cap of 32 million, which daa warns may be exceeded in 2024 despite efforts to manage demand.
“This leaves Dublin Airport caught between a rock and a hard place. We want to grow so we can continue to connect Ireland with the world and support FDI, tourism and jobs. But while we wait for planning to be granted, we are doing everything we can to comply with existing planning conditions. While our actions to dampen airline demand have reduced passenger numbers by approximately 650,000, we do not control the slot process. We now forecast that passenger numbers will exceed 32 million and will be closer to 33 million in 2024,» said daa CEO Kenny Jacobs.
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Cork Airport continues rapid growth
Cork Airport saw a record 340,705 passengers in August, a 10% year-on-year increase. This growth was supported by a busy August bank holiday weekend, with 65,000 travelers passing through the airport, up 5% from 2023. Additionally, on August 21, Cork Airport reached the two million passenger milestone for the year, three months earlier than in 2023.
The airport is now on track to exceed three million passengers by the end of 2024. Recent data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) highlighted Cork Airport as the fastest-growing of Ireland’s state airports, with an 11% growth rate in the first seven months of the year.
Challenges at Dublin Airport
Despite the strong summer performance, CEO Kenny Jacobs expressed concerns over Dublin Airport’s ability to handle further growth due to planning restrictions. Jacobs noted, «We forecast that passenger numbers will exceed 32 million and be closer to 33 million in 2024, despite efforts to manage demand.»
Dublin Airport has applied to Fingal County Council to increase its passenger cap to 40 million as part of a larger infrastructure plan aimed at supporting sustainable growth. In parallel, daa is preparing an alternative proposal to raise the cap without the additional infrastructure, in hopes of expediting the process.
“It is in no one’s interests to curtail tourism and investment at a time when so much public and private money is being spent to do the complete opposite. We are a small, open, island economy on the edge of Europe that has always punched above our weight but we need more joined-up thinking in the development of critical infrastructure. It’s time to all come together to realise an ambitious vision of Ireland that sets us up for the future. This includes support for growth at Dublin Airport, so we can keep delivering for Ireland, and growth at Ireland’s great regional airports at Cork, Shannon, Knock, Kerry and Donegal.” concluded Jacobs.
