Dublin Airport achieved the busiest May in its history with 3,395,607 passengers, up 4.2pc on 2024 and 14.5pc on pre pandemic.
A record three days exceeded 120,000 passengers, marking a first in the airport’s 85-year history.
Recent legal decisions have led to an increase in flight numbers during the summer period, despite ongoing cap restrictions.
Minister Darragh O’Brien expects to introduce legislative proposals to resolve the passenger cap issue.
DAA launched the Elevate ’25 initiative, a €2m support programme for communities, alongside an eight-hectare wildlife habitat donation to Fingal County Council.
CEO Kenny Jacobs shaered “May numbers were boosted by the launch of great new routes, including WestJet’s non-stop service between Dublin Airport and St John’s in Newfoundland and also the recent launch of direct Aer Lingus services to Nashville and Indianapolis, which are already proving to be a hit with passengers.”
“Research we commissioned from independent polling company Red C found that 86% of Fingal residents support further development of Dublin Airport to allow it to grow, while 84% agree that having the airport in their community fuels economic development.”
Of course, we would be adding even more high-demand new routes if it wasn’t for the uncertainty of the passenger cap, which is still making airlines cautious about bringing increased frequencies and new direct routes to locations like India, Brazil and Singapore. That will remain the case until the cap is fully removed.
As well as investing in the future of Dublin Airport through our planning applications, we continue to invest in our local community. We’ve had a really positive reaction already to the announcement in May of our Elevate ’25 initiative, a €2 million transformational school support programme for communities in North Dublin and East Meath. We also gifted an eight-hectare wildlife compensatory habitat supporting ecology and biodiversity to Fingal County Council, and received the good news that our plans to build improved viewing facilities for the public to watch planes take off and land on the airport’s runways had been approved. We’re heartened that these and all our local engagement efforts are reflected in strong positive sentiment in the community”.
