Cork Airport expecting a good year after traffic recovery in 2022

Cork Airport believes that it is on track for a “strong recovery” in 2023 after revealing that it handled 2.24 million passengers last year.

Its confidence is based on what it calls the swift recovery of international traffic after the removal of the last remaining COVID related travel restrictions.

Last year’s passenger total meant that the Irish gateway is now handling 86% of the numbers it welcomed prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic.

“Throughout the last two years, the steadfast support and assistance from the Department of Transport and the Irish government has greatly aided the recovery of passenger traffic at Cork Airport,” said the airport.

In 2022, Cork Airport offered a total 45 scheduled routes serving the UK, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Croatia.

Eight scheduled airlines operated services in 2022 – Ryanair, Aer Lingus, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Vueling, SWISS International Air Lines and TUI, together with a number of charter airlines.

December 2022 saw a welcome return of seasonal reunions as passengers celebrated the first restriction free Christmas in three years. Passenger traffic in December 2022 was marginally higher than that experienced in December 2019, indicating a welcome return to pre-pandemic demand for international travel to and from Cork Airport.

Commenting on the 2022 passenger traffic, managing director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, enthused: “After two years of COVID-19, we were delighted with the strength of the recovery at Cork Airport in 2022.

“We welcomed back eight scheduled airlines together with charter airlines and served 2.24 million passengers. Our team works very hard at Cork Airport, to make the passenger journey seamless, friendly, and easy.

“The passenger satisfaction scores of 9.2 out of 10 reflect this. We thank our loyal and valued customers and encourage prospective passengers in the hinterland of Munster and south Leinster to bear this ease and convenience in mind when booking their summer holidays in 2023.”