Cork and Dublin Airports see passenger numbers soar in record September 

Cork Airport remains on track to be Ireland’s fastest-growing airport once again this year, with passenger numbers ahead by 14% through the first nine months of 2025, DAA said

September also saw the first phase of Cork Airport’s €200m capital development programme get underway, including the construction of a new mezzanine floor, which will be the location of a new passenger security screening area that will open in late 2026. Picture: David Creedon

Cork Airport welcomed a total of 320,673 passengers in September, which was 9% higher than the same month last year. 

New figures released by the DAA show Cork Airport remains on track to be Ireland’s fastest-growing airport once again this year, with passenger numbers ahead by 14% through the first nine months of 2025.

September also saw the first phase of Cork Airport’s €200m capital development programme get underway, including the construction of a new mezzanine floor, which will be the location of a new passenger security screening area that will open in late 2026.

“The school holiday period may have ended, but load factors remain solid at Cork Airport with particularly strong performances on our key European services to Rome, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, and very positive inbound demand from the UK, especially London, Bristol and Glasgow," said Kenny Jacobs, CEO of DAA.

“September also saw more than 1,700 pilgrims travel on diocesan pilgrimages to Lourdes from Cork Airport, continuing a proud Cork tradition. 

"The new mezzanine floor will allow us to move fully to new cutting-edge C3 scanning technology. That will mean passengers no longer need to remove liquids or gels from their hand luggage. This is just the first of many great improvements coming to Cork Airport that will make the passenger experience even better than it already is," Mr Jacobs added.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport welcomed a total of 3,346,400 passengers in September, which was 3.6% higher than in the same month in 2024.

Every single day in September saw Dublin Airport welcome more than 100,000 passengers, with 18 days in the month seeing more than 110,000 passengers passing through, and six days coming in above 120,000.

September has now joined June, July and August as a peak summer month, with passenger numbers averaging 111,000 per day. Numbers travelling in the month were boosted by the successful staging of the first ever NFL match in Dublin, which saw Dublin Airport welcome upwards of 30,000 fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings from North America, the DAA said. 

September was also landmark month for Dublin Airport as it was able to remove the 100ml liquid limit at security, following the completion of the roll-out of new C3 scanners in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.

“Passengers are loving the fact that they no longer need to remove liquids or electronics from their hand luggage when going through security screening and this is helping to make their experience at security even smoother and safer," Mr Jacobs said.

“We also need to invest and build new infrastructure to ensure Dublin Airport can continue to cope with the passenger and airline demand that's coming its way over the years ahead. We're working hard behind the scenes to progress our Infrastructure and Operational planning applications, and we welcome the decision this week by the Cabinet to approve Minister Darragh O’Brien’s request to proceed with the drafting of legislation to remove Dublin Airport’s 32 million a year passenger cap."