Busiest ever November for Cork and Dublin Airports with 2.5m passengers in the month
Cork Airport is set to get even busier in the months ahead, the Daa added, with the announcement of new routes and additional services. Picture: Cork airport
Passenger numbers in Cork Airport in November were 5% higher than the same month last year, with numbers at Dublin Airport up 3%.
Airport operator Daa said that last month was the busiest ever November for Cork and Dublin Airports, with the two welcoming 2.5 million passengers in the month.
It noted that passenger numbers in Dublin could have been higher had the Daa not had to take necessary measures to dampen airline demand in accordance with the 32 million passenger cap.
However, based on forecasts for December, the operator said that high demand will see passenger numbers exceed 32 million and will be more than 33 million for 2024.
Almost 2.3 million passengers went through Dublin Airport last month, marking its busiest November in its 84-year history. The Daa said that Cork Airport also enjoyed a stellar month, welcoming 201,000 passengers as it continues to be Ireland's fastest growing airport this year.
Cork Airport is set to get even busier in the months ahead, the Daa added, with the announcement of new routes and additional services, including a new summer 2025 service between Cork Airport and Dalaman in Turkey, and an extended Air France schedule between Cork and Paris.
Additional flights between Cork and Bristol and Edinburgh have also been announced for the Six Nations rugby in the early part of 2025, picking up demand that Dublin Airport is not able to accommodate due to the passenger cap.
The Daa said it wants to continue to grow Dublin Airport in line with population growth, but that it is obliged to do everything it can to dampen demand for travel due to the 32 million cap.
This includes asking the High Court to review the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) allocation of slots for the winter 2024/25 season. The High Court hearing on this and the summer slots decision starts today, December 4.
The operator said it was encouraged by the High Court’s initial indication that decisions around the passenger cap and how it relates to slot allocations would best be considered by the European Court of Justice.
“It was another strong month at both Dublin and Cork airports – which highlights the huge demand that’s there to fly to and from Ireland and I want to thank our teams at home for their outstanding contribution," said Kenny Jacobs, CEO of the Daa.
"But just as it was in October, growth at Dublin Airport was more subdued in November than it could have been Daa dampens demand and airlines continue to hold back on routes and additional services due to the cap."
