Dublin and Cork airports saw record numbers of passengers travel through their terminals in August, latest monthly figures from airport operator daa show.
Nearly 4.2 million people passed through both airports last month with each setting new individual monthly customer number records.
Cork catered for just over 375,000 passengers, while Dublin saw 3.8 million passengers pass through its doors.
The busy August brought the total number of passengers travelling through Dublin Airport across the three peak summer months of June, July and August to 11.1 million passengers, 5.6% higher than the same period last year.
daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: “At the start of summer we committed to putting smiles on the faces of passengers. The Dublin Airport team has made that happen, with our surveys showing an improvement in overall satisfaction with departure gate experience, driven by cleanliness and the availability and comfort of seating. Passengers also stated strong satisfaction with standards in our airport bars and restaurants, which comes on the back of the many new openings and outlet revamps over the past year. A key barometer for any airport in peak summer is how smooth the security experience is and, even with us seeing some of our busiest ever days in August, more than 96% of passengers got through security screening in less than 20 minutes – a performance that will rival any other capital city airport in Europe this summer. Huge thanks to all at Dublin Airport who did Ireland proud this summer.
“Of course, summer isn’t quite over yet, with 100,000+ passenger days set to remain the norm throughout what is forecast to be a record-breaking September. There will be no slowdown either in the improvements for passengers, with the rollout of new C3 scanners continuing, which will ultimately allow for the removal of the rules which currently require liquids in hand luggage to be 100ml or under and removed from bags when going through security screening. Work is also ongoing in the terminals on a doubling in size of the T1 Lounge, a new and improved Fast Track facility in T1, while work has started airside in Terminal 2 on the fit-out of a new Irish bar. A full renovation of the 51st and Green lounge in T2 will commence in October.
“Operationally, Dublin Airport is in great shape and the work we’re doing is going to make it even better for passengers. However, addressing the passenger cap remains a key concern and we are encouraged by the Minister for Transport’s commitment to removing it. With all sides back after the summer break, we hope that all stakeholders will work with us to focus on finding a resolution to this issue.”
Specifically regarding Cork, Mr Jacobs added: “Having had the pleasure of travelling to and from Cork Airport on my own summer holidays this year, it’s easy to see why Cork is smashing all records and is now on course for its busiest year ever. The fantastic customer service provided by all the team there has resulted in a superb net promoter score and market research clearly shows that passengers flying from Cork enjoy the experience there.
“August rounded off the busiest summer in Cork Airport’s history, with 1.1 million passengers travelling through the airport during the summer months. Cork Airport is on the cusp of one of the most exciting periods in its history from a capital development and infrastructure perspective as works on the new mezzanine floor, which will be home to the airport’s new security screening area, are due to commence imminently. A total of €200 million will be invested by daa over the coming years, future-proofing Cork Airport’s infrastructure for further growth.”
