Dublin Airport passenger numbers up 4pc year to date as October flattens with 3,264,060 passengers

• Dublin Airport recorded 3,264,060 passengers in October 2026
• The figure was 13.9pc ahead of pre-pandemic levels

A total of 3,264,060 passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in October, in line with the same month last year. The figure was 13.9pc ahead of pre-pandemic. Rolling annual was 37,542,778, up 5.5pc on the twelve months to October 2025.

In the first ten months of 2026 the total reached 32.2m, up 4pc on the previous year. Transatlantic routes were 1pc higher in October while UK-Ireland traffic rose 4pc. Year to date, North American passenger numbers are up 8pc and UK traffic is up 5pc.

A total of 22,838 flights operated in and out of Dublin Airport last month, with the busiest day for passengers on Sunday 11 October. The five most popular destinations were London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Manchester, London Gatwick and London Stansted.

Gary McLean shared ““The October Bank Holiday and school mid-term break provided a significant boost to passenger numbers in October, with many families taking the opportunity to enjoy a holiday abroad, while we also welcomed large numbers of international visitors coming to Ireland.

“October is an increasingly important month for Irish tourism, with Halloween celebrations helping to showcase Ireland as the home of Halloween and attracting visitors from overseas. The Dublin Marathon and a busy programme of events across the capital also contributed to activity during the month.

“We continue to see strong demand from business and leisure travellers, while Ireland’s EU Presidency is bringing a steady flow of international visitors, officials and delegates into the country, which will continue over the weeks ahead.

“While the summer holiday season may be behind us, October’s figures demonstrate the strength and resilience of demand for air travel to and from Ireland throughout the year. Dublin Airport plays a vital role in supporting tourism, trade and connectivity for the country, and it’s encouraging to see that demand continuing

“Increased demand is coming and daa will continue to work with all stakeholders with the aim of ensuring that Dublin Airport is in a position to accommodate more passengers, whilst making sure everything possible is done to meet planning requirements

“The need to accommodate this growth at Dublin Airport has to be considered in terms of our impact on our local communities and daa is encouraged by the results of a recent independent survey of more than 1,000 residents by research agency Red C, which indicate that the majority of people living in Fingal and East Meath support continued growth of Dublin Airport.“

Airport passenger numbers 

Aberdeen – Abu Dhabi – Alicante – Amsterdam – Athens – Barcelona – Belfast City – Belfast International – Belfast combined – Bergamo – Berlin – Birmingham – Bristol – Brussels – Bucharest – Budapest – Cardiff – CDG Paris – Copenhagen – Cork – Derry – Doha – Donegal – Dubai – Dublin – Dusseldorf – East Midlands – Edinburgh – Frankfurt – Gatwick – Geneva – Glasgow – Gran Canaria – Helsinki – Heathrow – Istanbul – Kerry – Knock – Lanzarote – Leeds Bradford – Lisbon – Liverpool – London City – Luton – Madrid – Malaga – Manchester – Milan Bergamo – Milan Malpensa –Munich – Newcastle – Oslo Gardermoen – Palma de Mallorca – Paris CDG – Paris Orly – Porto – Prague – Prestwick – Rome Fiumicino – Seville – Shannon – Southampton – Stansted – Stockholm – Tenerife Sur – Valencia – Vienna – Warsaw – Zurich