Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport just under limit last year

Airport has cap of 32 million passengers a year as part of planning permission for Terminal 2

Just over 2.3 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport in December, bringing the year's total to 31.9 million. 

The number of passengers that passed through Dublin Airport last year came in marginally under the 32 million limit that is set out in its planning permission, its operator Daa has said.

The latest figures from Daa show just over 2.3 million passengers passed through the terminals at Dublin Airport in December, bringing the total for 2023 to 31.9 million. In 2022, 28.1 million people passed through the airport. 

Dublin Airport’s capacity is limited by the planning permission it received in 2006, which allowed it to construct Terminal 2. Daa recently submitted a planning application which would allow it to increase annual capacity to 40 million, but this is still some years away.

Daa chief executive Kenny Jacobs said passenger numbers at Dublin Airport are now 60% higher than they were a decade ago.

“As it stands, Dublin Airport has room to grow and could comfortably accommodate 35 million passengers per annum with the current infrastructure, but we now face a period of stalled growth as we continue to adhere to the annual terminals cap of 32 million passengers,” he said.

Mr Jacobs said until its planning application was approved, the airport would continue to adhere to the cap of 32 million passengers, which could cost “good jobs and economic growth”.

Of the passengers passing through Dublin Airport terminals, just over one million used the airport to connect to other destinations. During the year, Dublin Airport managed 241,595 flights.

Daa said 97% of passengers passed through security in less than 20 minutes last year.

The busiest day of the year was July 30, when 121,000 passengers travelled through the airport.

Cork Airport, which Daa also manages, saw 2.8 million passengers passing through in 2023, making it the busiest year for international travel in the airport’s 62-year history and represented a 25% increase on 2022’s numbers.

In the airport, 99% of passengers cleared security in 20 minutes or less.

In December, just shy of 200,000 passengers passed through Cork Airport.