Dublin Airport sees record year with 36.4m passengers

Dublin Airport recorded 215 days in 2025 with more than 100,000 passengers

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026 - 07:50

Emer Walsh

Dublin Airport recorded another record year in 2025 with passenger numbers surpassing 36.4m.

It marked the airport's busiest year so far, with numbers up by more than 5% compared to 2024.

The year included a total of 215 days with more than 100,000 passengers, representing 59% of the year and a 25% increase on 2024, Dublin Airport said.

Last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government would abolish the passenger cap at Dublin Airport through legislation later this year.

Airport operator DAA had repeatedly called for the 32m annual passenger cap to be lifted, arguing that expanding Dublin Airport to 40m passengers a year was “in line with national aviation policy”.

“Go back 10 years and Dublin Airport had never handled more than 100,000 passengers in a single day," said managing director Gary McLean. "Fast forward to 2025 and 3 out of every 5 days saw 100,000+ passengers moving through our terminals."

"The strong passenger numbers in 2025 are indicative of the huge demand that’s there to fly in and out of Ireland and also of the importance of ensuring that Dublin Airport, as the island’s main gateway, has the capacity and infrastructure needed to meet the needs of our fast-growing population."

Mr McLean said its busiest day was on Sunday, August 10, with 130,427 passengers going through the airport.

He also noted significant transatlantic travel, with numbers processed by the airport's US pre-clearance facility in Terminal 2 exceeding 2m in 12 months for the first time ever.

“Dublin Airport has room to accommodate higher numbers of passengers in the years ahead, but it is essential that we soon start building new gates, stands and other infrastructure to set us up to meet the demand that’s coming over the coming decades – and removing the passenger cap is key to that happening," Mr McLean said.

"We are encouraged by the progress being made by the Minister for Transport in introducing new legislation, which will see the cap removed."

Dublin Airport facilitated a total of 255,000 flights in the year, an increase of 5% on 2024, with London Heathrow coming in as the top destination from the airport, followed by Amsterdam, Manchester, London Stanstead and London Gatwick.

Cork Airport

Last week, Cork Airport said it also recorded its busiest year in its history during 2025 with 3.46m passengers flying to and from the airport.

Overall passenger traffic was up 13% compared to 2024, marking the third consecutive year of double-digit growth at the airport. In the decade since 2015, passenger traffic at Cork Airport has grown by 67%.