One-millionth passenger of 2023 to arrive in Cork Airport ahead of bank holiday weekend

This weekend will also see the commencement of Ryanair's largest summer schedule at Cork airport, with five new routes operating across Europe

Tue, 30 May, 2023 - 11:48

Emer Walsh

Cork airport is set to welcome its one-millionth passenger of 2023 today as the airport prepares for a busy June Bank holiday weekend.

As the peak summer season begins, more than 56,500 passengers are expected throughout the long weekend. Making a full recovery from pre-pandemic levels, passenger numbers this year represent a 3% increase since 2019, and a 13% rise in annual terms.

This weekend will also see Ryanair commence two new routes from Cork Airport to Seville and La Rochelle, with both services operating twice weekly from Thursday, June 1st.

The announcement follows Central Statistics Office data released yesterday that reported passenger numbers to be up by 4.2% on pre-pandemic levels, with 1,676,000 passengers arriving by air in Ireland last month.

According to CSO statistician, Gregg Patrick, recovery has spread across all major air routes, with transatlantic travel rising by more than 40% in relative terms.

Spain remains the most popular continental destination, with almost a quarter of a million passengers arriving on these routes in April, however, Great Britain was the most important destination for overseas travel to Ireland, with 634,500 passengers arriving on air and sea routes in April, up by almost an additional 100,000 annually.

In addition, The latest Travel Bulletin released by the CSO showed that passenger numbers in Shannon Airport were up 33% on the same month in 2019.

This summer, Cork airport is operating 44 direct routes to the UK and continental Europe, with Ryanair last December announcing its biggest ever summer schedule for Cork airport. In addition to La Rochelle and Seville, the airline also announced new routes to the East Midlands in the UK, Venice, and Rome.