Dublin Airport contributes €9.6bn to the economy, new study finds 

Airport directly responsible for 19,900 jobs and indirectly responsible for a further 11,700

Dublin Airport operator Daa said it would be seeking planning permission to increase capacity beyond the current 32 million passenger cap per year.  

Dublin Airport contributes €9.6bn to the economy through direct and indirect employment created as well as its impact on tourism, a new study has found.

The study was produced by international economic consultants InterVistas on behalf of Dublin Airport Authority (Daa). It measures the overall economic impact of Dublin Airport and considers areas such as employment levels, the wages of the people employed in airport-related activities, and the indirect benefits that flow into the wider Irish economy.

Of that €9.6bn in added value to the economy, the study said 29% of it is distributed in Fingal, 24% in the rest of Dublin, 20% across the rest of Leinster, and 28% across the rest of the country.

The study says Dublin Airport is directly responsible for 19,900 jobs and indirectly responsible for a further 11,700 through firms that supply and support the airport.

In addition, it suggests a further 13,300 jobs can be linked back to the airport through employees spending in the economy, while the airport helps sustain 71,200 more jobs through its facilitation of tourism, trade, investment and productivity.

Of those jobs, 27% of the employment generated by the airport are in Fingal, with a further 21% in the rest of Dublin, 22% in the rest of Leinster and 31% across the rest of the country.

The study also highlights that Ireland has one of the highest per capita connectivity scores in Europe among major economies.

Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport have rebounded strongly post-covid and demand for travel from Dublin Airport is forecast to grow by about 3.7% a year between 2025 and 2030.

Forecasts suggest Dublin Airport could see nearly 40 million passing through by the end of the decade. Further forecasts suggest passenger numbers could grow to 46.6 million by 2040 and to 55 million by 2055.

Kenny Jacobs, chief executive of Daa, which operates Dublin Airport, said Dublin Airport would soon submit a planning application which would enable the airport to grow to 40 million passengers a year. 

"InterVistas' analysis indicates that maintaining the current 32 million cap would lead to Ireland forgoing an additional 17,800 jobs and €1.5bn in gross value added by 2030.

“By 2055, the number of jobs lost to Ireland would be 53,300 while €4.4bn would be lost in gross value added,” he said.