Cork Airport is forecast to have its busiest year in its history in terms of international passengers this year with 2.75 million set to fly in and out of the airport in 2023. From 2006 to 2009 passenger numbers at Cork exceeded 2.75 million but this was made up of a significant proportion of domestic passengers when the Dublin to Cork flight was available. At one stage there were up to six return flights per day between the two cities but with the opening of the motorway in May 2010, passenger numbers declined and the flight was finally axed in October 2011.
Last month, 191,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport, a 14% increase on November 2022. The busiest day of travel at the state’s two busiest airports in November was Sunday, 5th November, the final day of the mid-term school holidays, when almost 98,000 passengers passed through Dublin Airport and almost 10,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport. Passengers also experienced a swift security screening process with 97% clearing security in less than 15 minutes and 99% in less than 20 minutes.
According to Kenny Jacobs, daa’s CEO: “Cork Airport will experience its busiest year for international traffic in the airports 62-year history, with a total of 2.75 million passengers anticipated for 2023 in total. That is 22% growth in the space of 12 months. The significant growth of passenger numbers at Cork Airport is due to the increasing number of destinations at the busiest airport serving the South of Ireland. Cork Airport remains the most popular choice for passengers from across Munster and South Leinster with a friendly airport experience, conveniently located car parking and really quick security queues.”
