Airlines have added seat capacity at Dublin Airport for summer 2026 that wil bring passenger numbers near 40m.
Aer Lingus and Ryanair applied forms of extra seats through additional take-off and landing slots. The airport handled 36.3m passengers in 2025 exceeding the 32m cap set in 2007. The Irish Aviation Authority added 25 daily slots for summer 2026 without a seat cap coordination parameter.
A High Court order suspended the cap pending a European Court of Justice ruling expected by summer 2026.
Kenny Jacobs shared “We’re expecting the high single-digit growth seen in October to be eclipsed over the months ahead, with double-digit growth forecast in November and December and into the early months of 2026.”
