Cork Airport enjoying bumper season as passenger numbers soar by 28%

Cork Airport is enjoying a bumper summer season with passenger numbers increasing by 28% during the month of May.

Irish holiday makers have their eyes firmly set on the sun this summer, with millions set to depart from Ireland’s two busiest airports at Cork and Dublin over the coming weeks.

June, July and August are set to be the busiest months at both Cork and Dublin airports since 2019, coming on the back of another busy month in May, according to daa, the operator of the country’s busiest two airports.

Cork Airport welcomed a total of 262,318 passengers during May, representing a 28% uplift on May 2022 and a 10% increase versus May, 2019. There were 1,900 flights into and out of Cork during May.

The busiest day this year so far for travel from Cork Airport was Tuesday, May 30, while the busiest destination was London Heathrow. Some 78% of all flights departing Cork are on time, while 99.9% of passengers are through security in 20 minutes or less.

Dublin Airport saw 3.05 million passengers travel during May, which was similar to the number that travelled in the same month in 2019 and up 17% on 2022 levels.

“Looking ahead to the peak summer months ahead, Spain remains the firm favourite for Munster passengers, as Cork Airport recently added a new Ryanair route to Seville,” said Cork Airport spokesperson Barry Holland.

“There are now 10 Spanish destinations available direct from Cork Airport and Malaga, Lanzarote, Reus, Alicante and Valencia rank amongst the most popular for passengers across the South of Ireland.” 

Spain is set to be the number one destination for passengers flying out of Dublin Airport, with Malaga and Barcelona occupying the top two spots in the list of busiest expected destination airports during June, July and August, and with Madrid and Lanzarote also sitting in the top 10.

Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa, the operator of Cork and Dublin airports said: “At Cork Airport, the uplift in passenger traffic remains extremely strong with double digit growth on May 2019 passenger numbers. In fact, passenger traffic seen last month was on a par with some of the historically busy weeks of late July and early August in years past.

“Two new routes commenced at Cork Airport in the last week, to Seville and La Rochelle. The choice and convenience on offer at Cork Airport continue to be a major attraction for Munster consumers,” added Mr Jacobs.

Cork Airport’s top 10 most popular summer destinations, from June to August are: Malaga, Faro, Lanzarote, Reus, Alghero (Sardinia), Alicante, Palma, Valencia, Rome, and Pisa.

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 prior to a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul departure.