Record month for Ireland’s two busiest airports

March was another record month at both Cork and Dublin airports with 181,000 and 2.48 million passengers respectively travelling through the gateways, according to operator, daa.

At Cork Airport, March has followed the trend set in January and February, with another impressive performance.

Last weekend, Cork Airport surpassed 500,000 passengers in the year to date. As Munster’s busiest airport, Cork Airport is set to welcome a total of 2.5 million passengers over the course of the full year.

March passenger figures at Cork Airport reflect a 10.4% increase on the same period last year and a 4.6% increase on March 2019.

Meanwhile, a total of 2.48 million passengers went through Dublin Airport in March. That was 30,000 passengers higher than the number which went through in the previous busiest March in 2019 and 33% higher than in March 2022.

This is the third consecutive month of record passenger numbers at the country’s biggest airport.

During the month there were a total of 1.23 million arriving passengers at Dublin Airport and 1.25 million departing passengers.

The March figures mean that 6.65 million passengers went through Dublin Airport in the first three months of 2023, which is 102% of 2019 levels.

Deputy managing director at Cork Airport, Roy O’Driscoll said: “March was once again a tremendously busy month at Cork Airport. Last month’s passenger numbers contributed to a great Q1, with over half a million people flying to and from Cork Airport since January. This represents a 5% increase in passengers versus Q1, 2019.

“With the recent start of our summer schedule, Cork Airport is gearing up for a very busy summer season ahead. We expect to welcome 2.5 million passengers across the full year, and we are well on track to meet that target.

“Leisure demand was extremely strong, with many passengers taking the opportunity to fly to the UK and Continental Europe for city breaks, ski and sun holidays in Q1, 2023.”

As part of its ongoing sustainability journey, daa is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. In March, Dublin Airport commenced a HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) trial as an alternative fuel source for vehicles in the airport’s light and heavy fleets.

HVO fuel which is made from waste renewable materials such as vegetable oils, can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90% versus diesel and can also contribute to improved air quality.

Pending the trial outcome, daa will seek to transition light and heavy vehicles in the airport’s fleet to the new fuel source.