Dublin Airport saw passenger numbers grow significantly in April for the first time since last autumn, latest figures from the airport’s operator daa show.
The 7.5% year-on-year growth, last month, to 2.9 million passengers was helped by the winter stay on flight slots/the passenger cap not being extended into the summer and with Easter falling in April.
April’s good figures followed three consecutive months of no growth in the capital.
The High Court has suspended any enforcement of the slots limit pending the outcome of a legal case that has been referred to Europe after a legal challenge by airlines, effectively preventing the cap from being considered by the regulator when assigning slots to airlines.
Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa, said: “April was a strong month at Dublin airport both in terms of passenger numbers and also operational performance. When it comes to growth, Cork Airport is a star performer amongst Irish regional airports and Dublin Airport would be too amongst its peer European airports if it wasn’t for the uncertainty of the passenger cap. The positive passenger increases at both airports in April was due to strong numbers travelling over the Easter break, which fell much later this year versus 2024, and the addition of great new routes – including Cork-Bilbao and Dublin-Nashville. I want to thank the brilliant teams operating both airports who made April such a smooth month for our passengers.”
However, on a broader note surrounding Dublin Airport’s long-term future, in the shadow of the passenger cap decision, Mr Jacobs said “the clock is ticking” regarding an impact on Ireland’s competitiveness: “April was the first month of 2025 in which passenger numbers at Dublin Airport were not artificially constrained given there was a limit on the number of slots that airlines could access over the winter period due to the passenger cap. The 7.8% growth in April shows the high level of pent-up demand that’s out there – both from passengers and airlines – to fly in and out of Dublin Airport.
“The passenger cap is holding Ireland back and making it an outlier amongst other European countries, with figures released this week by Airports Council International showing that passenger traffic in Ireland declined by -0.5% in Q1 2025, while airports in Europe combined saw passenger traffic increase by an average of 4%. This makes no sense when you consider that Ireland is an island nation with a fast-growing population which does – and always will – require good air connectivity. Add in the fact that we’re speaking to airlines every week that want to bring new routes and additional frequencies to Dublin Airport and Ireland finds itself in a farcical situation that is leaving the rest of the world scratching its head.”
“With the cap at Dublin Airport having been referred to Europe, and with airlines consequently being able to keep filing for slots, the passenger cap is effectively now a zombie cap and the bigger issue for Ireland is that conversations need to switch to how planning in Ireland can go faster.
“While some stakeholders insist on putting up barriers as opposed to solutions and hiding behind no-longer-fit-for-purpose processes, all minds now need to focus on identifying answers that will eradicate the zombie passenger cap once and for all and most importantly speed up planning. Dublin Airport is on track to handle more than 36 million passengers in 2025 and it has the capacity to comfortably do so. But the clock is ticking on how long Dublin Airport will be able to accommodate the growth opportunities that are coming Ireland’s way without the addition of the new departure gates, aircraft stands and passenger infrastructure it will need in the near future.”
