Summer sun, sport and music ensure record-breaking August at Dublin and Cork airports

The record-breaking summer continued at pace at both Cork and Dublin airports in August, with a total of 4,161,468 passengers travelling through both airports.

Cork Airport

Cork Airport enjoyed its busiest ever August, breaking more records with just over 375,000 (376,709) passengers flying to and from Ireland’s fastest-growing airport. Passenger numbers last month were up 10% compared to August 2024 and in the year-to-date, passenger numbers are up by 15% compared with the same period last year. A total of 1.1 million passengers flew to and from Cork Airport across the summer months of June, July and August.

Independent market research prepared by RED C has shown that customer satisfaction ratings for Cork remain incredibly high, with a net promoter score of +67 and an average satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5. Based on the current growth trajectory, passenger numbers at Cork Airport will exceed 3.4 million by the year-end, making it the busiest year ever.

Market research also shows that the number of inbound visitors from our key source market, the UK, have increased with an 8% increase in passengers from London and a 12% increase in passengers arriving on UK provincial routes (i.e. outside London).

Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport’s busiest ever August saw it welcoming close to 3.8 million passengers (3,784,759), 4.1% higher than the same month last year.  Every single day in August saw Dublin Airport handle more than 110,000 passengers, with numbers topping 120,000 passengers on 21 of those days and reaching 130,427 on the busiest day, Sunday August 10 – the first day ever to exceed 130,000 passengers in the airport’s 85-year history.

The busy August brought the total number of passengers travelling through Dublin Airport across the three peak summer months of June, July and August to 11.1 million passengers, 5.6% higher than the same period last year.

August’s numbers were boosted by the arrival of tens of thousands of Americans for the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which contributed to the busiest ever week for passengers travelling to/from Dublin Airport and the USA (103,164, August 18-24).

Inward tourism numbers were also lifted by the string of big concerts that took place around Dublin in August, including the two Oasis gigs, Robbie Williams and Electric Picnic, which all attracted visitors from around the world.

While the terminals were busy with record numbers, the Dublin Airport team once again pulled out all the stops to deliver high standards for passengers. The airport’s passenger satisfaction score hit an all-time high in August at +59, keeping it above the 50 level (which identifies ‘excellent’ standards) for the third consecutive month and coming on the back of readings of +53 in July and +51 in June. Meanwhile, security screening was consistently smooth with 99% of passengers through in less than 25 minutes.

Commentary on Dublin Airport’s August performance:

daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: “At the start of summer we committed to putting smiles on the faces of passengers. The Dublin Airport team has made that happen, with our surveys showing an improvement in overall satisfaction with departure gate experience, driven by cleanliness and the availability and comfort of seating. Passengers also stated strong satisfaction with standards in our airport bars and restaurants, which comes on the back of the many new openings and outlet revamps over the past year. A key barometer for any airport in peak summer is how smooth the security experience is and, even with us seeing some of our busiest ever days in August, more than 96% of passengers got through security screening in less than 20 minutes – a performance that will rival any other capital city airport in Europe this summer. Huge thanks to all at Dublin Airport who did Ireland proud this summer.

“Of course, summer isn’t quite over yet, with 100,000+ passenger days set to remain the norm throughout what is forecast to be a record-breaking September. There will be no slowdown either in the improvements for passengers, with the rollout of new C3 scanners continuing, which will ultimately allow for the removal of the rules which currently require liquids in hand luggage to be 100ml or under and removed from bags when going through security screening. Work is also ongoing in the terminals on a doubling in size of the T1 Lounge, a new and improved Fast Track facility in T1, while work has started airside in Terminal 2 on the fit-out of a new Irish bar. A full renovation of the 51st and Green lounge in T2 will commence in October.

“Operationally, Dublin Airport is in great shape and the work we’re doing is going to make it even better for passengers. However, addressing the passenger cap remains a key concern and we are encouraged by the Minister for Transport’s commitment to removing it. With all sides back after the summer break, we hope that all stakeholders will work with us to focus on finding a resolution to this issue,” added Jacobs.

Commentary on Cork Airport’s August performance:

Jacobs added: “Having had the pleasure of travelling to and from Cork Airport on my own summer holidays this year, it’s easy to see why Cork is smashing all records and is now on course for its busiest year ever. The fantastic customer service provided by all the team there has resulted in a superb net promoter score and market research clearly shows that passengers flying from Cork enjoy the experience there. 

“August rounded off the busiest summer in Cork Airport’s history, with 1.1 million passengers travelling through the airport during the summer months. Cork Airport is on the cusp of one of the most exciting periods in its history from a capital development and infrastructure perspective as works on the new mezzanine floor, which will be home to the airport’s new security screening area, are due to commence imminently. A total of €200 million will be invested by daa over the coming years, future-proofing Cork Airport’s infrastructure for further growth.”