Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport down -1% in January due to 32 million cap

daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports, has released its first monthly passenger numbers for 2025, which show Cork Airport remains on trend as the fastest growing airport in Ireland with 7% more passengers in January versus the same month last year. It was a different story in Dublin, where the number of passengers through Dublin’s terminals was -1% lower than in January 2024 due to the impact of the 32 million passenger cap.

If there was no cap at Dublin Airport, there would have been an additional 150,000-200,000 passengers in January, which would have been a boost to tourism, the economy, and well-paid aviation jobs.

Dublin Airport contributes €10 billion in gross value added (GVA) to the Irish economy and supports 116,100 jobs in the Republic of Ireland. ACI Europe research confirms every +10% increase in direct connectivity yields an increase of +0.5% in GDP per capita. The cap continues to be a drag on all parts of the economy in the winter months (October, November, December, January, February) and Ireland needs the cap to go in 2025.

Storm Éowyn had a significant impact on both Dublin and Cork airports in January. The storm, one of the most powerful to hit Ireland in recent history, resulted in the cancellation of more than 230 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at Dublin Airport. Cork Airport also faced significant disruptions, with airlines adjusting their operations due to the storm's severity and the cancellation of 19 flights. However, both airports responded well and were able to resume operations from mid-morning on the day of the storm.

January also saw the publication of the new Programme for Government, which recognised that good connectivity with the rest of the world is essential to foster continued economic growth, for communities, and our tourism industry. daa welcomes the new government’s commitment to work with stakeholders to achieve the objective of lifting the terminals cap at Dublin Airport as soon as possible. 

Cork Airport commentary

Niall MacCarthy, Cork Airport Managing Director, expressed satisfaction with the strong start to the year: "We are very happy to see such a positive start to the year with a 7% increase in passenger traffic in January. This growth is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and the strong support from our passengers and airline partners."

Kenny Jacobs, daa CEO, added: "Cork Airport's impressive passenger growth is a clear indicator of the airport's vital role in supporting jobs in tourism, business and internationally trading companies right across the South of Ireland. daa is committed to supporting Cork Airport to grow to five million passengers a year within the next decade. We’ve lots of exciting plans including investing in expanding the terminal facilities as well as investing in infrastructure."

Dublin Airport commentary

Commenting on Dublin Airport’s performance in January, Kenny Jacobs said: "Operationally, Dublin Airport had a strong month even with Storm Éowyn, but the cap storm shows no sign of abating. January was the second month running where passenger numbers were lower year-on-year despite huge demand from both passengers and airlines to fly in and out of Dublin Airport. This is consistent with industry predictions that Ireland would be the only country among the top 20 European countries in air travel to show a decline in scheduled seat capacity in Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024.*

“Meanwhile, across the Irish sea, the UK government has announced its support for the expansion of Heathrow to unlock growth and make the UK more connected. It’s also pressing on with plans to grow capacity at Stansted, Luton, Gatwick and London City airports.  A key element of the UK approach is to speed up their planning system to back those building for the UK’s future.

"daa welcomes the new Irish government’s commitment to working with all stakeholders to resolve the cap that is dragging on Dublin’s development and to speeding up major infrastructure development to grow jobs, connectivity and tourism. Ireland has long been regarded as an aviation pioneer and innovator, we want to be setting the standard rather than playing catchup with our neighbours.”

daa also confirmed it will resubmit its ‘no build’ Operational Application (OA) to increase passenger numbers at Dublin Airport to 36 million a year to Fingal County Council (FCC) this week.

daa hopes the OA can now move swiftly through the planning process and provide a short-term solution to the terminals cap impasse impacting Ireland’s connectivity, tourism and economy. 

¹ ACI Europe ’The Impact of an Airport’; ‘Benefits of Airports and & Air Connectivity