Millions of passengers are set to depart from Ireland’s two busiest airports at Cork and Dublin over the coming weeks. June, July and August are set to be the busiest months at both Cork and Dublin airports since 2019, coming on the back of another busy month in May, according to daa, the operator of the country’s busiest two airports.
Cork Airport welcomed a total of 262,318 passengers during May, representing a 28% uplift on May 2022 and 10% increase versus May 2019. Dublin Airport saw 3.05 million passengers travel during May, which was similar to the number that travelled in the same month in 2019 and up 17% on 2022 levels.
Looking ahead to the peak summer months ahead, Spain remains the firm favourite for Munster passengers, as Cork Airport recently added a new Ryanair route to Seville. There are now 10 Spanish destinations available direct from Cork Airport and Malaga, Lanzarote, Reus, Alicante and Valencia rank amongst the most popular for passengers across the South of Ireland. Spain is also set to be the number one destination for passengers flying out of Dublin Airport, with Malaga and Barcelona occupying the top two spots in the list of busiest expected destination airports during June, July and August, and with Madrid and Lanzarote also sitting in the top 10.
Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa, the operator of Cork and Dublin airports said: “At Cork Airport, the uplift in passenger traffic remains extremely strong with double digit growth on May 2019 passenger numbers. In fact, passenger traffic seen last month was on par with some of the historically busy weeks of late July and early August in years past. Two new routes commenced at Cork Airport in the last week – Seville and La Rochelle. The choice and convenience on offer at Cork Airport continues to be a major attraction for Munster consumers”.
Cork Airport’s Top 10 most popular summer destinations (June-August)
- Malaga
- Faro
- Lanzarote
- Reus
- Alghero (Sardinia)
- Alicante
- Palma
- Valencia
- Rome
- Pisa
Dublin Airport’s Top 10 most popular summer destinations (June-August)
- Malaga
- Faro
- Barcelona
- Chicago
- Paris
- Lisbon
- New York
- Boston
- Madrid
- Lanzarote
| Number of Passengers | 262,318 | Number of Passengers | 3,050,000 |
| Number of Flights | 1,900 | Number of Flights | 22,185 |
| Through Security in <20 mins | 99.9% | Through Security in <20 mins | 95% |
| Flight Load Factor | 75% | Flight Load Factor | 82% |
| Busiest Day for Travel | Tuesday, May 30th | Busiest Day for Travel | Sunday, May 21st |
| Busiest Destination | London Heathrow | Busiest Destination | London Heathrow |
| Flights Departing On-Time | 78% | Flights Departing On-Time | 58.2% |
