Almost 22 million passengers used Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport is heading for a record-breaking year after seeing almost 22 million passengers travel through its facilities by last weekend.

The airport’s passenger traffic rose to 21.7 million in 2014, but said yesterday that it had surpassed this total by last Sunday, by which time close to 22 million people had passed through there.

It is now expecting more passengers this year than the 23.5 million who used the airport in 2008, its busiest year to date.

Managing director Vincent Harrison said the airport was already ahead of last year with more than half of November and all of December still to come. He pointed out overall numbers were up 15 per cent, implying that almost 2.9 million extra people had used the airport so far this year.

He explained that airlines had launched 23 new routes from the airport this year, and every month since April has set a new record for traffic.

Mr Harrison noted that all parts of Dublin Airport’s business had grown this year: “We’re seeing strong growth in all segments of the market from both Irish-based customers and overseas passengers.”

Meanwhile, independent figures confirm Dublin is one of the fastest growing airports in Europe. Airports Council International figures show it is increasing passenger numbers at more than twice the European average – 6.3 per cent over the three months ended September 30th.