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A RECORD 41 million passengers used Ireland’s airports in 2024, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This is the highest number of passengers recorded since the CSO began collecting data of passenger counts in 2013.
Over 891,000 more passengers travelled to Ireland in 2024 when compared with 2023, according to Damien Lenihan, statistician in transport.
Additionally, 5% or almost 1.8 million more passengers used Irish airports in 2024 compared with 2023.
Over 279,000 flights were handled by Ireland’s five main airports in 2024, with Dublin handling 84% of all flights, and Cork handling 7% of the flights. The number of flights to and from Irish airports rose by 2% when compared with 2023 figures.
The statistics follow another report by the CSO which said that in February 2025, that some 304,300 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland, down from 433,300 at the same time last year, a drop of 30%.
It also comes amid controversy over the airport’s passenger cap, which is set at 32 million passengers. The cap was put in place in 2007 and hasn’t been changed since.
Many airlines despise the cap, as it limits the number of people who can use the airport. The operator of Dublin airport (DAA) has re-lodged a planning application earlier this year to raise the number of passengers to 36 million per year.
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