Dublin Airport experienced its busiest September in history with 3.08m passengers.
The busiest day of the month was Sunday, September 1, when 119,570 passengers went through the airport’s two terminals, and passenger numbers exceeded 100,000 on a further 23 days in the month.
In a written statement the airport acknowledged challenges due to a 32m passenger cap, leading to airlines reducing operations, potential job losses, and diminished connectivity.
So far this year, a total of 25.8m passengers have passed through the doors of Dublin Airport – an increase of 5.3pc on the same period in 2023.
The statement continued: October is set to be another busy month but the outlook for autumn is more subdued, because some airlines operating at Dublin have decided to reduce the scale of their operations because of the uncertainty with the 32 million cap. The Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) winter slot decision, which will cut the number of seats that airlines flying in and out of Dublin Airport can offer to passengers in the November to March winter period, will also begin to bite. However, it remains daa’s expectation that the 32m cap will be exceeded in 2024.
DAA CEO Kenny Jacobs shared: “daa has long been vocal about the potential negative impacts of the cap, warning it could lead to significant job losses and harm Ireland’s economy and international reputation. Regrettably, our predictions are becoming a reality. Ryanair is cutting routes, Aer Lingus is warning of job losses, while Emerald is likely reducing its fleet and may cut its Dublin to Donegal route, all of which leads to economic harm and reduced connectivity for Ireland.
“Things are going to get worse before they get better. The coming months will see the passenger cap starting to bite more firmly as airlines finalise their summer 2025 schedules with fewer slots available and reduced capacity, despite overwhelming demand from passengers to fly in and out of Dublin Airport. Meanwhile airports across Europe are working hard to get and keep the flights Dublin is losing. And daa is obliged to continue to do its utmost to comply with the cap, despite not controlling the slot process.
“At the same time, we are working hard to support our application to increase our passenger number to 40 million to pass through the planning system. We are currently responding to Fingal County Council’s request for further information on a range of topics and intend to submit our response before November 15. However, the complexities and additional considerations prompted by the recent draft decision by An Bord Pleanála on nighttime flights and hours of operation at Dublin Airport complicate this.
“We’re currently working through the detail of the ABP draft decision to understand the full implications and repeat our call for more joined-up thinking in both the planning system and strategic infrastructure development. We’re an island nation with a fast-growing population, so Government policies and a nimble planning system that allows all our airports to grow is vital, be that Dublin or Donegal, Cork or Shannon.”
