DUBLIN Airport has warned that the 32 million passenger cap will be exceeded in 2024 after a “record-breaking” summer demand.
In August this year, 3.8 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport – with Cork Airport now the fastest-growing airport in Ireland.
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August 2024 was the busiest month ever in Dublin Airport’s 84-year history, with the week of August 12 seeing 829,000 passengers.
From May to August, over 10 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport – meaning 22.7 million passengers visited the airport so far in 2024.
The data has said that a “dampening” of passenger numbers is expected from late autumn due to the IAA’s winter slot decision to reduce the number of seats airlines flying into Dublin Airport can offer between November and March.
Some airlines have reduced the scale of their operations at Dublin Airport “due to uncertainty” over the passenger cap, the daa has said.
Efforts have been made to “encourage airlines to move seat capacity from Dublin to Cork” by daa, but they warned that Dublin’s numbers will exceed the 32million planning condition.
Daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said that growth is “being stalled” by the “outdated” passenger cap.
The airport chief said: “Overall, I’m optimistic about the future except for one thing: the fact that growth at Dublin Airport is now being stalled by an outdated passenger cap, a very lengthy planning process and a lack of joined-up thinking on critical infrastructure in Ireland.
“This leaves Dublin Airport caught between a rock and a hard place.
“We want to grow so we can continue to connect Ireland with the world and support FDI, tourism and jobs.
“But while we wait for planning to be granted, we are doing everything we can to comply with existing planning conditions.
“While our actions to dampen airline demand have reduced passenger numbers by approximately 650,000, we do not control the slot process.
“We now forecast that passenger numbers will exceed 32 million and will be closer to 33 million in 2024.”
He warned it is “in no ones interests” to curtail tourism and said “its time to come together” to realise an ambitious vision of Ireland.
Jacobs continued: “It is in no one’s interests to curtail tourism and investment at a time when so much public and private money is being spent to do the complete opposite.
“We are a small, open, island economy on the edge of Europe that has always punched above our weight but we need more joined-up thinking in the development of critical infrastructure. It’s time to all come together to realise an ambitious vision of Ireland that sets us up for the future.
“This includes support for growth at Dublin Airport, so we can keep delivering for Ireland, and growth at Ireland’s great regional airports at Cork, Shannon, Knock, Kerry and Donegal.”
FASTEST GROWING
The daa have applied to Fingal County Council to increase the current terminals passenger cap of 32million passengers a year to 40million passengers a year.
Meanwhile, Cork Airport saw a record 340,705 visitors in August, marking a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.
On Wednesday, August 21, Cork Airport hit the 2million passenger mark for 2024, three months earlier than the year previous.
Recent CSO statistics also show Cork Airport is the fastest growing of the three state airports in the first seven months of 2024, achieving a growth rate of 11 oer cent so far.
The data chief said he is “delighted” to see Cork Airport become the fastest-growing airport in Ireland.
Jacobs said: “I am delighted that Cork Airport is now the fastest growing airport in Ireland. We want that to continue and see an opportunity to grow Cork by 40 per cent in the next six to eight years.
“At Dublin Airport, like every month so far this year, a new monthly record was set in August with more than 100,000 passengers flying most days, and more than 120,000 plus on a number of days.
“If we had these passenger numbers every day, then Dublin would already be a 40-million-passenger airport.
“This summer shows that we can successfully handle that amount of passengers operationally, and I want to thank all of our teams at the airports for their hard work, as well as our airline customers.”
