A record-breaking January saw a total of 2.48 million passengers pass through Dublin Airport, a +14% increase on the same month last year.
The sharp increase once again highlights the huge demand that’s there to fly in and out of Dublin Airport, according to airport operator daa.
Three days in January saw more than 100,000 passengers pass through Dublin Airport – the first time ever that the 100,000-passenger level has been exceeded in the month of January. The busiest day in January was Sunday, January 4 when a total of 112,227 passengers went through the airport.
The strong year-on-year growth in January shows why the permanent removal of the passenger cap is so important to Dublin Airport, the island’s main gateway, being able to meet this demand. daa welcomes the imminent presentation of a legislative framework to remove the cap, which is expected to be brought before the Cabinet by the Minister for Transport soon.
January was the tenth consecutive month that Dublin Airport saw passenger numbers grow.
This growth has continued since April 2025, when the Irish High Court told the aviation regulator not to factor in the 32‑million passenger cap when deciding how many flight slots airlines could get, until European courts decide whether the regulator is allowed to consider the cap when allocating slots.
Most Popular Routes
The most popular destinations in January were: 1. London Heathrow; 2. Manchester; 3. Amsterdam; 4. London Gatwick; and 5. London Stansted.
The opening month of the year saw the addition of several new routes, including Cancun in Mexico and Tromso in Norway, which are already proving popular with passengers.
According to Gary McLean, Managing Director of Dublin Airport: “January was another busy month at Dublin Airport and it’s very pleasing to again see that passenger satisfaction scores remained at consistently high levels, which is all down to the hard work of our brilliant staff.
“We want to keep improving standards for passengers and that’s why we’re continuing to roll-out new features, services and improvements in the terminals. Work has started on a full overhaul of the retail and duty-free offering in Terminal 1 and the new Ryan’s Bar in Terminal 2, which opened in late December, is already proving a big hit.
“We are creating a new dedicated Fast Track facility upstairs in Terminal 1 and overhauling the old T1 Lounge, which is on schedule soon. It will be three times the size, with double the number of seats and a six-fold increase in the food and drink options available to passengers. The 51st and Green lounge in Terminal 2 is also being revamped and is on track to open ahead of what will be another very busy summer.
“February is set to be another busy month for Dublin Airport, kicked-off by what was a very busy St Brigid’s bank holiday weekend. With Valentine’s Day falling on a weekend, numbers travelling are set to be high in the middle of the month, book-ended by what will be high-demand Six Nations rugby weekends.”
