Cork Airport Anticipates Record Year For International Passenger Traffic

3.5 million through Ireland’s two busiest airports in June
2.7 million set to fly to and from Cork Airport this year

Cork Airport is forecast to have its busiest year in its history in terms of international passengers with 2.7 million set to fly in and out of the Munster’s most popular airport in 2023. The number of passengers through Cork Airport in the opening six months of the year was 1,292,000 million, up 7% on the same period in 2019. 280,500 passengers flew to and from Cork Airport in June 2023, which is 13% higher than June 2022.

The busy peak summer season is well underway now at Cork and Dublin airports, with a total of 3.5 million passengers flying in and out of the State’s two busiest airports in June, according to daa, the operator of both airports.

The number of passengers through Dublin Airport in the opening six months of the year was just over 15.5 million, which is on a par with 2019 levels. June was also the busiest month of the year so far at Dublin Airport with just over 3.2 million passengers, in line with June 2019 levels and 14% higher than the same month last year.

According to daa CEO, Kenny Jacobs:

“Almost 1.3 million passengers have flew in and out of Cork Airport in the first six months of the year. Cork Airport is gearing up to have its busiest year ever for international traffic, with 2.7 million passengers expected to fly to and from Munster’s busiest and most popular airport this year. This growth is facilitated by an excellent airport experience, friendly staff, and an excellent choice of routes. I expect that growth to continue through winter, with Aer Lingus recently announcing new winter services to Lyon and Tenerife, along with frequency increases on service to Lanzarote. There will be more good news for passengers across the South of Ireland soon as the team at Cork Airport work with our airline customers to finalise details of even more new routes.”

Passenger Advice For Summer

Passengers travelling from Cork Airport are advised to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart.

Passengers travelling out of Dublin Airport over the coming weeks and months are advised to be in their terminal two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul departure.

June 2023 at daa’s Irish Airports
Cork Airport		Dublin Airport
Number of Passengers	280,500	Number of Passengers	3,250,000
Number of Flights	1,908	Number of Flights	21,952
Through Security in <20 mins	99%	Through Security in <20 mins	98%
Through Security in <10 mins	84%	Through Security in <10 mins	78%
Flight Load Factor	85%	Flight Load Factor	82%
Average Baggage Return Time	7 minutes	Average Baggage Return Time	18 minutes
Busiest Day for Travel	Tuesday, June 27	Busiest Day for Travel	Friday, June 30
Busiest Route	London Heathrow	Busiest Route	London Heathrow
Flights Departing On-Time	68%	Flights Departing On-Time	53% *

* Departing On-Time Performance at Dublin Airport impacted significantly in June by Air Traffic Control industrial action in Mainland Europe