Dublin Airport to breach passenger cap in December following record October
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Dublin Airport is set to breach its passenger limit of 32 million in December after recording its busiest October ever with nearly 2.9 million people passing through its terminals, its operator DAA has said.
Cork Airport, which is run by DAA, also recorded its busiest October ever welcoming just shy of 260,000 passengers through its terminals, up 2% compared to last year.
DAA said that inward tourism helped boost the numbers at the airports citing the annual Cork Jazz Festival, sporting events like the Leinster versus Lions rugby match as well as the Dublin Marathon as reasons why people travelled to Ireland.
Leaving the country was popular too, with record numbers travelling during the October bank holiday period from both Cork and Dublin airports.
In order to comply with its planning permission for Dublin Airport, DAA have said that it has been making efforts to “dampen airline demand” which includes “asking the High Court to review the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) allocation of slots for the winter 2024/25 season, which will be heard on December 3”.
“However, based on forecasts, DAA continues to warn that passenger numbers will exceed 32 million and will be closer to 33 million in 2024,” the company said.
A total of 28.7 million passengers have passed through the doors of Dublin Airport so far in 2024, an increase of 5% on the same period in 2023. DAA anticipates exceeding the 32 million limit during the month of December.
“To bring an end to the impasse, DAA remains focused on supporting its application to increase the passenger number to 40 million to pass through the planning system. Next week, DAA will submit its response to Fingal County Council’s comprehensive request for further information on a range of topics,” it said.
In relation to Cork Airport, DAA said there was good news for existing carriers with Aer Lingus Regional commencing their new service to Glasgow.
“Following strong demand, Aer Lingus Regional will also operate additional services to Bristol, bringing the frequency on that route up to nine times weekly. Ryanair will be continuing their service to Brussels Charleroi throughout the winter and have added a winter service to Fuerteventura," DAA said.
Chief executive of DAA Kenny Jacobs said that demand “to get on and off our island shows no sign of dropping, with Cork and Dublin airports welcoming unprecedented numbers of passengers every month this year”.
“Even though DAA wants to facilitate and support this demand, we are obliged to do our utmost to comply with the cap, despite not controlling the slot process. We welcome all efforts to promote more joined-up thinking in both the planning system and strategic infrastructure development so our island nation can thrive.”
On Monday, the High Court agreed to pause the effects of a Dublin Airport passenger cap that was due to imminently affect airlines’ access to take-off and landing slots over the summer 2025 period.
A consortium of airlines brought an urgent application over the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA’s) decision to limit passenger numbers to 25.2 million between late March and October next year.
Mr Justice Barry O’Donnell said the airlines would suffer “immediate serious consequences” if he refused to pause the operation and implementation of the IAA decision.