Dublin and Cork airports see record number of passengers in June

New figures show record numbers of air passengers passed through both Dublin Airport and Cork Airport last month. The daa said 3.54 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in June, an increase of 5.8% on the same month last year, making it the busiest June to date. The airport's busiest ever day was recorded on Sunday, 29 June, when 129,000 passengers arrived and departed, a rise of 1.8% on the previous busiest day. It said the number of US passengers was up by 4% compared to June 2024, which it said highlights the importance of US connectivity.

355,000 passengers passed through Cork Airport last month, 15% higher than last year, making it the busiest June in the airport’s 63-year history. It comes as Cork Airport celebrates being named the best regional airport in Europe for the third time by Airports Council International Europe. The daa, which operates both airports, said the last week of June also broke records as the new busiest ever week for both Dublin and Cork.

In the first half of the year, 16.96 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport, an increase of just under 3% in comparison with the same time last year. The numbers passing through Cork Airport, up to the end of June, increased by 14.5% to 1.65 million passengers.

The daa said Dublin Airport is on track to exceed 36 million passengers this year, but it said the passenger cap \"continues to weigh down Dublin\". \"Dublin Airport’s surging passenger numbers highlight the urgency of the Government confirming its proposed solution to the cap issue as soon as possible,\" according to the airport operator. The daa chief executive said the \"artificial cap\" on numbers at Dublin Airport is \"an own goal that needs to be removed\".

Kenny Jacobs said while other airports would be delighted to welcome more than 3.5 million passengers, he said for Dublin \"it’s bittersweet\". \"The outdated cap remains a millstone weighing down every airline considering keeping or starting new routes, which has ripple effects for any business investing in Ireland as well as our homegrown industries, particularly tourism.\" Mr Jacobs said TUI announced this week that it will no longer base two aircraft in Dublin Airport from summer 2026. \"While we look forward to supporting their new partner model, TUI’s decision is a reminder about how easily airlines can decide to relocate aircraft and routes away from Ireland,\" he said.