Cork Airport is forecast to have its busiest year in its history in terms of international passengers this year with 2.75 million set to fly in and out in 2023.
Last month, 191,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport, a 14 per cent increase on November 2022.
Almost 2.2 million passengers passed through the doors of Dublin Airport in November, a 4 per cent increase on the same month last year, according to new figures published by airport operator DAA. A further 102,000 transfer and transit passengers used Dublin Airport during the month.
The busiest day of travel at the State’s two busiest airports in November was Sunday, November 5th, the final day of the midterm school holidays, when almost 98,000 passengers passed through Dublin Airport and almost 10,000 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport.
In Dublin Airport in Novemner, 95 per cent of passengers got through security screening in under 15 minutes, with almost every passenger (99 per cent) going through in less than 20 minutes. At Cork Airport, passengers also experienced a swift security screening process with 97 per cent clearing security in less than 15 minutes and 99 per cent in less than 20 minutes.
Kenny Jacobs, DAA chief executive, said: "December will be a very busy and important month for us at our Irish airports in Dublin and Cork as we facilitate the journeys of millions of passengers coming home for Christmas. Mid-December will also see a new Infrastructure Application submitted to Fingal County Council which would enable Dublin Airport to grow beyond the current 32 million passenger cap. As it stands, that application is likely to take at least two years to be approved, which will result in stalled growth at Dublin Airport in both 2024 and 2025.
“Cork Airport will experience it’s busiest year for international traffic in the airports 62-year history, with a total of 2.75 million passengers anticipated for 2023 in total. That is 22 per cent growth in the space of 12 months. The significant growth of passenger numbers at Cork Airport is due to the increasing number of destinations at the busiest airport serving the South of Ireland. Cork Airport remains the most popular choice for passengers from across Munster and South Leinster with a friendly airport experience, conveniently located car parking and really quick security queues.”
