1.8m extra passengers expected at airports

Almost two million extra passengers will pass through Irish airports in 2014, thanks largely to the abolition of the air travel tax announced earlier this year.

The spike in traffic is expected to deliver a cash windfall of up to €400m to the Irish economy, but the south could miss out due to falling passenger numbers.

Figures released by Ryanair show that although Shannon (+22%) and Dublin (+7%) airports saw a surge in passengers between April and September, passengers at Cork (-4%) and Kerry (-6%) airports continue to dwindle.