Busiest Christmas Ever At Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport will have its busiest Christmas on record this year, as almost 1.2 million people are expected to arrive and depart during the festive season. From Friday, 20th December to Friday, 3rd January, 2020 an expected 1,171,000 people will travel through Dublin Airport. The numbers travelling this year are up 3% compared to the same period last year.
This will be the busiest Christmas in the airport’s 79-year history, according to Dublin Airport spokesperson, Siobhán O’Donnell. “Friday, December 20 is expected to be the busiest day before Christmas, with over 90,000 passengers due to arrive and depart through both terminals, while Friday, December 27 is expected to be the busiest day after Christmas, particularly with passengers heading to winter sun and skiing destinations,” Ms O’Donnell said.
RTE Radio One Ryan Tubridy Show will broadcast live from the airport on Monday 23rd December from 9am to 10am. Dublin Airport will close on Christmas Day – the only day on which it closes every year – however a number of staff members will remain on duty that day, including the airport’s emergency fire services. Like last year, the airspace will remain open so any General Aviation aircraft wishing to fly in the Dublin Control Zone will need to file a flight plan and receive an ATC clearance as normal.
Flight operations will cease on Christmas Eve after the last flight departs to Chisinau with Air Moldova at 11.20pm and they will resume on St. Stephen’s Day when Aer Lingus’ EI 104 from New York lands at 5am.
November Sees Decline in Passenger Numbers
More than 2.2 million passengers used Dublin Airport in November, a 1% decrease when compared to November 2018. This is the first monthly drop in passenger numbers since March 2014.
The decline in passenger numbers is due to airlines withdrawing services or reducing capacity on their existing route network to and from Dublin during the winter. Passenger numbers declined on all route sectors in November except Europe, which recorded a 2% increase as almost 1.1 million passengers travelled to and from European destinations during the month.
Almost 833,000 passengers travelled to and from UK destinations in November, which was a 2% decrease when compared to 2018. Transatlantic traffic to and from North America declined by 4% with almost 263,000 passengers travelling on this route sector last month. Traffic to and from other international destinations, which includes flights to the Middle East and Africa decreased by 11%, as almost 65,000 passengers travelled on these routes during November. Passenger numbers on domestic routes declined by 25% with almost 7,300 travelling on domestic flights last month.
The overall picture looks much better with more than 30.6 million passengers using the airport so far this year, a 5% increase (+1.4 million) on last year. The number of passengers using Dublin Airport as a hub to connect to another destination has also increased up 5% between January and November, with almost 1.8 million passengers connecting through Dublin Airport during that time.
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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