Cork Airport records busiest July in 15 years last month

Cork Airport recorded its busiest July since 2008 last month, with almost 301,000 passengers flying to and from Munster’s busiest airport.

The passenger traffic at Cork Airport last month represented a 13% increase on July 2022.

Figures released today by daa, the operator of Cork and Dublin airports, show that over 3.7 million passengers travelled through the two airports last month.

Dublin Airport saw just over 3.4 million passengers travel through the airport in July. 

That number was 13% higher than the same month in 2022 and on a par with July 2019.

A total of 120,585 passengers travelled through Dublin Airport on Sunday, July 30 which was the highest number ever recorded in a single day.

"Given July was the wettest month on record, it's perhaps no surprise that thousands of passengers opted to swap soggy Ireland for sunnier climes and jumped on a flight for a last-minute summer holiday," daa CEO, Kenny Jacobs said, commenting on the figures. 

"The busiest days in July normally come in the middle part of the month, but this year passenger numbers continued to rise as the month went on at both Cork and Dublin airports. 

"The summer so far has been really smooth at both Cork and Dublin airports which is down to the phenomenal efforts of the teams working in both airports. On behalf of our passengers, I want to thank them for their hard work,” he continued. 

The busiest day at Cork Airport last month was Tuesday, July 25. 

Meanwhile, the most popular destination passengers at both airports were travelling to and from was London Heathrow.

Speaking in relation to Cork Airport, Mr Kenny said close to 100% of passengers cleared security screening in less than 20 minutes last month. 

“Practically all passengers (99.9%) cleared security screening in less than 20 minutes with 9 out of 10 passengers clearing security in less than 10 minutes," he said. 

“It is also great to see strong performance on new summer routes, namely Rome, Seville, and La Rochelle. 

“This clearly shows the strong appetite amongst our passengers in Munster and South Leinster for new and exciting destinations on the continent".