More than 3.4 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport during August, according to new figures from airport operator Daa.
Daa operates both Dublin and Cork airports.
Dublin’s August passenger total represents a 12% increase on the corresponding month last year and illustrates the strength of the tourism and travel recovery in 2023.
Around 12% more passengers have passed through Dublin Airport so far this year than the first eight months of last year. Passenger numbers in the eight months to August totalled 22 million, with almost half of those (10.1 million) travelling during the busy summer months of June, July and August.
Dublin Airport recorded its second busiest ever day in August with just shy of 119,000 passengers travelling through on Sunday, August 13.
Meanwhile, 308,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport during the month of August, representing a 14% increase on August 2022, making it the busiest August for passenger traffic since August 2008.
Tuesday, August 8 was the busiest day of August at Cork Airport and was also the busiest day of the year so far with almost 13,000 passengers flying that day.
The top ten most popular destinations for departing passengers from Dublin Airport this summer (June, July and August combined) were:
- London Heathrow
- London Gatwick
- Amsterdam Schiphol
- Malaga
- Faro
- London Stansted
- Manchester
- Edinburgh
- Birmingham
- Barcelona
The top 10 most popular destinations for departing passengers from Cork Airport this summer (June, July and August combined) were:
- London Heathrow
- London Stansted
- Amsterdam Schiphol
- Manchester
- Faro
- Malaga
- Edinburgh
- London Gatwick
- Birmingham
- Barcelona Reus
According to Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa: “August was another busy month for travel at as families continued to flock overseas in their droves to escape the miserable weather in Ireland. At Dublin Airport, destinations such as Malaga, Faro and Barcelona were popular as travellers looked to swap the wind and rain for sunshine and the beach, while the restart of the UK football season in the latter half of the month boosted traffic. We also catered for strong demand too from the business community, which boosted routes to the London airports and also transatlantic services.
“Passengers have been very positive about the standards they’ve received in Dublin Airport over the summer, with 97 out of every 100 passengers getting through security screening in under 20 minutes, which was even better than the 90% target we set for ourselves. More than two thirds of passengers (71%) have got through security in less than 10 minutes, with 90% through in under 15 minutes. I want to express a sincere thanks to the team at Dublin Airport who have went the extra mile for passengers this summer and delivered standards that are the envy of many other capital city airports all over Europe.
“Demand for travel remains high for the coming weeks and months. While the return to school marks the end of the peak summer period, September is set to remain busy as older families and younger couples set off to enjoy some autumn sunshine – and child-free swimming pools – in the likes of the Mediterranean and the Canaries. Business travel levels are also set to remain high over the months ahead.
“At Cork Airport, it has been an equally busy month as the airport experiences its second busiest consecutive month in 15 years. Nearly 890,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport across the months of June, July, and August. As Cork Airport approaches the 2 million passenger mark this month, traffic at Munster’s busiest airport is forecast to be just as busy through a combination of those jetting off in search of sunnier climes and fans travelling to France for the Rugby World Cup.”
