Dublin Airport Was EU’s 11th Largest Airport in 2018
According to new figures released by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, Dublin Airport was the 11th largest airport in the European Union last year (see list below). Dublin Airport welcomed almost 31.5 million passengers last year, equivalent to more than five times the population of the island of Ireland passing through the airport. The ACI data for passenger numbers across Europe shows that Dublin Airport is the now the 11th largest airport within the European Union and the 15th largest airport in Europe. London Heathrow was the EU’s largest, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, Frankfurt and Madrid.
“Dublin Airport has grown in recent to become a significant player in the European aviation market,” said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. “This added scale is good news for the economy throughout the island, as it enables Dublin Airport to compete at a higher level with other major airports to win new business and boost Ireland’s overall connectivity.”
According to the figures Dublin Airport was one of the fastest-growing large airports in Europe in the second half of last year with increasing by 6.7% between July and December. Since 2014, passenger numbers at Dublin Airport have increased by 45% from 21.7 million to 31.5 million. In 2018, the total number of trips to Ireland by overseas residents was 10,616,300, an increase of 6.9% over 2017. There was an increase of 4.2% in the number of overseas trips made by Irish residents in 2018 to almost 8.3m.
Trips by residents of Great Britain increased by 0.8% in 2018 to 3,759,000, by residents of other European Countries by 9.5% to 3,812,700, by residents of USA and Canada by 13.4% to 2,383,800 and from Other Areas by 6.7% to 660,700.
In December 2018, the total number of trips to Ireland by overseas residents rose to 738,300 – an increase of 8.2%. British resident visits were 294,000 (-1.4%), other European residents 250,000, +16.5%, US/Canada 142,000, +18.7%, others 51,800. +4.2%. The total number of overseas trips made by Irish residents during December 2018 increased by 2.6% to 572,900. The total number of trips (Irish residents’ trips overseas plus trips to Ireland) in Dec18 increased by 5.7% to 1,311,100.
Total European passenger traffic increased by +6.1% to a record 2.34 billion last year. Airports in eastern and southern parts of the EU had the best passenger performance last year, along with those in Austria and Luxembourg. The weakest performing countries were Sweden, which has a new aviation tax, and the UK, where fears in relation to Brexit had an impact, according to ACI.
| Rank | Airport | Passengers (M) |
| 1 | Heathrow | 80 |
| 2 | Paris CDG | 72 |
| 3 | Amsterdam | 71 |
| 4 | Frankfurt | 70 |
| 5 | Madrid | 58 |
| 6 | Barcelona | 50 |
| 7 | Munich | 46 |
| 8 | Gatwick | 46 |
| 9 | Rome | 43 |
| 10 | Paris Orly | 33 |
| 11 | Dublin | 31 |
| 12 | Copenhagen | 30 |
| 13 | Palma | 29 |
| 14 | Lisbon | 29 |
| 15 | Manchester | 28 |
About the Author
Mark Dwyer Mark is an airline pilot flying the Boeing 737 for a major European airline. In addition he is also a Type Rating Instructor, Type Rating Examiner and Base Training Captain on the B737. Outside of commercial flying Mark enjoys flying light aircraft from the smallest 3 Axis microlights up to heavier singles. He is also an instructor and EASA Examiner on single engines and a UK CAA Examiner. He flies the Chipmunk for the Irish Historic Flight Foundation (IHFF). Mark became the Chairman of the National Microlight Association of Ireland (NMAI) in 2013 and has overseen a massive growth in the organisation. In this role he has worked at local and national levels. In 2015, Mark won ‘Upcoming Aviation Professional Award’ at the Aviation Industry Awards sponsored by the IAA. Mark launched this website back in 2002 while always managing the website, he has also been Editor and Deputy Editor of FlyingInIreland Magazine from 2005 to 2015.
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