Cork Airport passenger numbers down 89% this Christmas

Just five routes will operate out of the airport this year, compared to 32 routes last year

Cork Airport is expecting to welcome just 11% of normal passengers levels at Christmas this year. Picture: Larry Cummins

Cork Airport is anticipating "one of the quietist Christmases in decades," as COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact on traffic levels at the regional airport.

Passenger numbers at Cork Airport will be down 89% this Christmas compared to the same period last year with just 13,000 people due to travel through the airport this holiday season compared to almost 119,000 people in 2019.  

An initial 1,600 passengers are expected to arrive home for Christmas next week, with this number expected to double to 3,200 the following week.

A further 1,600 passengers will arrive back through Cork Airport before New Year’s Eve on the final week of the year.

Cork Airport Head of Communications, Kevin Cullinane said the airport will experience one of the quietist Christmases in decades this year with just 11% of normal passengers levels.

Kevin Cullinane, head of communications at Cork Airport, said the airport is expecting its quietest Christmas inn decades.

“We have just five routes operating this Christmas," he said, "compared to thirty-two routes last year.” 

The five routes operating this year are London Heathrow with Aer Lingus, Amsterdam with KLM, and London Stansted, Gdansk and Katowice with Ryanair.

Passenger numbers will be split evenly between arrivals and departures over the Christmas period with the busiest day before Christmas Day expected to be December 23.

Mr Cullinane said the airport wishes to remind passengers and those meeting and greeting them at the airport this year "to comply fully with all COVID-19 guidelines."

“Face masks or coverings must be worn when in the airport terminal, on board the aircraft and until you’ve reached your final destination."

"We have taken every step to look after the safety and well-being of our customers since the outset of the pandemic and we remind everyone using Cork Airport to observe social distance and use the hand sanitiser stations and dispensers located throughout the airport terminal,” he finished.