Dublin Airport has reported its busiest ever January with just over 2.1 million passengers travelling through during the first month of the year, new figures from the airport's operator daa show today.
Daa said the number of passengers using Dublin Airport in January was 2% higher than in January 2019 - the previous record January.
It was also more than double (113%) the numbers seen in January last year.
Daa said the early part of January saw some very busy days at Dublin Airport as thousands of people travelled home after the Christmas break.
But it added that security screening moved smoothly during the month with 95.7% of passengers passing through in less than 20 minutes and virtually all through in under 30 minutes.
Cork Airport, the other Irish airport operated by daa, saw the number of passengers in January hitting 162,000, which was 149% higher than January 2022 and 12% higher than January 2019.
Passenger numbers at Cork Airport are forecast to increase by almost 10% to around 2.4 million this year.
Overall, the total number of passengers carried by daa's two Irish operated airports during January this year was 2.27 million, up from 2.15 million in January 2019 and 956,000 in January 2022.
The busiest day at Cork Airport during the month was Tuesday January 3 with 6,900 passengers travelling through, while the busiest day at Dublin Airport was Monday January 2 with 88,900 passengers.
The most popular destination from both Dublin and Cork airports was London Heathrow.
In total, 78% of flights from Cork Airport departed on time in January, while 76% were on time leaving Dublin Airport, the daa said today.
"The volume of people travelling through both Dublin and Cork airports during January shows the continued strong appetite that exists for overseas travel post-Covid," Daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said.
Mr Jacobs said the daa are expecting and planning for another busy year at Dublin Airport and the main focus is on improving security queue times and standards in both terminals, but especially Terminal 1.
"Moving through the terminals is already easier and more enjoyable for passengers following a recent de-cluttering. We have listened to feedback from passengers and have ear-marked a number of areas for additional seating," he said.
"A big emphasis is also being placed on improving basic services such as toilets and general cleanliness. Work to further improve the Dublin Airport experience will accelerate over the coming weeks and months," he added.
