Dublin Airport saw its busiest January last month, new data showed, with more than 2.1 million passengers travelling through the airport.
That was 2 per cent higher than the pre-Covid record set in 2019, and more than double the January 2022 figure when Covid-19 was still impacting travel.
The airport operator said almost 96 per cent of passengers passed through security in less than 20 minutes, with some delays recorded in early January at peak periods for Christmas travel. However, almost all passengers were through in 30 minutes, indicating that there were none of the large-scale delays experienced last summer. January 2nd was the busiest day at Dublin Airport, with 88,900 passengers.
Cork Airport, which is also operated by DAA, saw 162,000 passengers pass through in January. That was 12 per cent up on January 2019, and 149 per cent higher than January 2022. Looking ahead to 2023, the airport is expected to increase passenger numbers by 10 per cent this year to about 2.4 million. Cork Airport’s busiest day last month was January 3rd, when 6,900 passengers travelled through.
“January saw monthly passengers at Dublin Airport surpass pre-pandemic levels for the very first time,” said DAA chief executive Kenny Jacobs. “The volume of people travelling through both Dublin and Cork airports during January shows the continued strong appetite that exists for overseas travel post-Covid.
“The addition of an extra bank holiday weekend in February, combined with Valentine’s Day and the midterm school break, means February will be another very busy month at both airports.”
DAA also pledged to improve basic services, such as toilets and cleanliness, in addition to continuing to work on security queues. “Work to further improve the Dublin Airport experience will accelerate over the coming weeks and months,” Mr Jacobs said.
